Of Roses and Thorns
by hbtc213
Summary: Rosalie Martineau stopped aging the day her mother used necromancy to bring her back to life. She's made a point of avoiding attachments and moving often. But when she is called to Dallas to aid in the search for Godric, Rosalie is forced to reconsider her nomadic lifestyle after meeting someone who makes her want to stay.
1. Chapter 1

**France, 1531**

 _Rosalie awoke with a sudden gasp, eyes frantically scanning the room she was in. The women who surrounded her watched with wide eyes as Rosalie sat up quickly, turning her head in every direction. Finally recognizing the place as her mother's shop, Rosalie managed to stop her gaze onto the women around her._

 _She recognized some of the faces—women in their neighborhood that she would smile at as she walked by—but most of the women were strangers to her. They regarded her with wary expressions, each one giving her various degrees of a one over. She felt like a failed work of art, being picked apart by vicious critics._

 _The longer they stared, the more of Rosalie's memories came rushing back to her. She'd been at the apothecary shop alone, waiting for her mother to return from a home visit, when a man had suddenly burst through the door. His gaze had been predatory and frenzied as he moved at a supernatural speed, attacking Rosalie with his teeth._

 _This man—no, this abomination—had had fangs, which he plunged into Rosalie's neck with an astounding force. She remembered everything happening so quickly that she hadn't had time to blink, let alone fight back. Rosalie's memories became more hazy until she eventually drew a blank, the rest of the night completely wiped from her memory._

 _Looking to the women around her, she croaked out, "What happened?"_

 _The women shared looks, urging one of them to be brave enough to speak. Finally, a hefty, gray-haired woman spoke up._

 _"You were on the edge of death when your mother found you," she told Rosalie somberly. "She did what she had to do to bring you back."_

 _"What…what exactly did she do?" Rosalie timidly asked, afraid of the answer she might receive. "Did she…did she turn me into the same creature that attacked me?"_

 _"Heavens, no!" One woman exclaimed, outraged by the mere accusation._

 _"No, you are not a vampire, dear," the woman told her, not unkindly. "But…you aren't human anymore."_

 _"If I'm not human, what am I?" Rosalie wondered, her face taking on a wild expression._

 _"She's made you into an abomination!" Another older woman hissed from where she stood at the foot of the bed Rosalie was lying on. At the sour looks she received, the woman added, "Necromancy is the Devil's work and you all know it! I want no part in this."_

 _The woman exited the room quickly, a few others following in her wake. Rosalie was left with a couple of the other women and the lady who'd originally spoken._

 _"Necromancy?" Rosalie gasped out._

 _"Your mother went to great lengths to bring you back," the woman carefully said, tiptoeing around the obviously unstable girl. "But not without a price."_

 _Rosalie pushed herself up onto her feet, trying not to wince when all the women immediately flinched away from her. "How much did it cost? I can take care of whatever kind of debt she's created for herself."_

 _The women all looked at her with a mixture of pity and condescension. "This is a life debt, child. Only she could pay it."_

 _"Where is she? You are talking in riddles and I want answers from my mother," Rosalie demanded, crossing her arms over her chest._

 _Sighing, the old woman motioned for her to follow and then led her through the house and into her mother's room, letting her into the bedroom quietly. Rosalie's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, settling onto the form on the bed. At the sight, she let out a horrified scream._

 _On the bed lay the lifeless body of her mother, Jeanne._

 _"No, no, no!" Rosalie cried out, tears streaming down her face as she rushed to her mother's bedside, clutching a cold hand in between her own. "Please, Mama, wake up! Don't leave me, please!"_

 _She continued on like this, muttering watery pleas that went unanswered. Eventually, she couldn't take the coldness of her mother's alabaster skin and pulled away. She ran a shaky hand over her face, attempting to wipe away her tears._

 _"As I said, a life debt cannot be undone. The spell your mother used called for a life in return for the one that was being saved. She refused to sacrifice anyone but herself," the old woman murmured quietly, her words ringing out in the eerie silence of the bedroom._

 _"You're crazy!" Rosalie spat out angrily. "All this talk of necromancy and spells, as though they aren't tales used to scare little children. My mother is dead and all you can speak of is folklore!"_

 _The old woman sighed. "Then how do you explain the man that attacked you? A mere figment of your imagination?"_

 _Rosalie, without thinking, raised a hand to the place where the man had bitten her, unsettled to find a fresh wound there. Small patches of blood smeared across her hand, leaving no doubt that it had all been very real._

 _"If what you say is true," Rosalie began in a shaking tone. "Then my mother is a complete stranger to me. The mother I know is not—was not—involved in anything unsavory. She was a healer, a caretaker for those in need."_

 _"Can she not be both?" The old woman questioned._

 _Rosalie chose not to reply, instead pushing herself onto her feet and brushing her tangled mahogany hair out of her eyes. "Where will I go now? My mother is dead and I am an abomination, a freak of nature. I have no where to go."_

 _The old woman sighed and took Rosalie's hands into her own. "In the cabinet below your mother's herbs, there is a large amount of savings tucked away. Gather what you can carry and leave France. Go to Austria or Germany—just don't stay here. Your close encounter with a vampire has made you a target."_

 _Rosalie let out a quivering sigh and nodded. "Alright, I understand. What will I do when I am out of France?"_

 _"Start over, my dear," the older woman told her with a small smile before leaving Rosalie alone in the empty house._

* * *

 **Now**

"Please fasten your seatbelts. We will be landing shortly," came the flight attendant's voice over the intercom.

Rose glanced out her window, overlooking the city of Dallas. It had been many years since she'd been there, yet she felt an unusual fondness for the city. In Dallas, she had stayed with Godric and learned to accept that whatever she was, it didn't change who she was inside. Godric had provided her with more peace than any other person since her mother's passing. That was why, when Isabel called her in a panic over his disappearance, Rose flew straight from Munich to Dallas.

After landing and getting all of her luggage, Rose chose to rent a car and drive herself over to Godric's home with his "cult", as she'd teasingly called it. On the drive over, she wondered what could have happened to the 3000 year old vampire. He was too powerful to have been kidnapped and infamous enough within the vampire community that no one would ever attempt to harm him.

Rose arrived at his home just after the sun had gone down. She grinned when she saw a glamorous looking Isabel come out to greet her. Parking quickly, Rose left behind her bags in favor of running to her friend and giving her a tight hug.

"My dear, it's been too long," Isabel told her, smiling widely as they pulled away from one another.

"I see that your fashion sense has greatly improved since the 80's," Rose quipped, grinning wickedly. "You look gorgeous, by the way."

"Thank you, darling! But we don't have time for a meet and greet just yet," Isabel said, making a shooing motion towards the door. "Everyone's already inside."

"Everyone? Did you call on the entire cavalry?" Rose teased lightly, nonetheless obeying Isabel's orders and going into the house.

She walked down the familiar hallways of Godric's home. The inside had been redecorated since she'd last been there, but Godric rang through each little touch put into the house. Collections of beautiful artwork covered the walls, small trinkets from various countries lying throughout the house, and furniture that mimicked some of his favorite eras of art. Rose felt a keen sense of home as she walked throughout the house and into the living room.

Her calm was thrown for a loop when she walked in to find Eric Northman staring back at her. _Well_ , _she thought, this is a bit awkward…_

* * *

 **New York City, 1945**

 _"Rosie, you'd better stop while you're ahead, honey," teased Pearl Hamilton, gently pulling the bottle away from her friend's fingertips._

 _Rose rolled her eyes, but didn't fight her. "The war has just ended and this is a celebration, correct?" The men and women she'd come with all nodded their heads. "So, I believe it is my God given right to enjoy myself until I can't see straight!"_

 _Everyone laughed loudly as Rose placed her hands on her hips, as though she'd recited some sort of motivational speech rather than pleaded for more alcohol. She brushed a carefully crafted curl out of her face and smiled widely. It was the smile she often used to charm some poor sod into buying her a drink or whine her way out of doing a tedious task. It was the kind of smile that could entrance anyone who beheld it._

 _Pearl shook her head, still chuckling. "That look won't work on me, Rosie, and you know it."_

 _Rose shrugged and continued her strut down the street towards the nightclub they were going to. "I'll just find a big, strong man who will fall for it."_

 _Once the group entered the club, they flagged down a table big enough for all of them. Most of the group was made of childhood friends, who'd been together since they were in diapers. The only reason Rose was with them was because she had recently befriended Pearl, the ringleader of this group, and was invited by her. It was fine that way, as Rose often-avoided making ties with people she wouldn't be seeing for long._

 _Now seated at the end of the table next to Pearl, Rose scanned over the room for a dance partner. She could ask Roger, a boy in the group who'd been making eyes at her all night, but she knew better than to feed the admiration of a man like that. He would cling and inevitably get too attached, so it was better for them both if Rose ignored him all together._

 _Suddenly, Rose spotted two very interesting men seated in a private booth within the VIP section of the nightclub. They were wearing uniforms, a typical sight in the club, as most of the attendants were celebrating their return from a grouling war. While both men were attractive, it wasn't their looks that interested Rose. It was what they were._

 _Both men had their faces buried in the neck of some unsuspecting dame and to an average citizen it would seem like they were only being a bit too friendly for public. But Rose knew better than that. She saw the way they wiped blood from their lips, watched as their fangs retracted back into their mouths._

 _Feeling brave, she stood up from her table and went over to the VIP section, ignoring the questions being called out to her from Pearl and her friends. She walked with an easy air of confidence, feeling particularly good in the new, cherry colored dress she was wearing. It was fitted tightly around her bust and waist before slinking down to her knees. It flowed around her like water, moving gently with each step she took._

 _As she was about to enter the near empty section, a man in a suit stopped her._

 _"Ma'am, you can't go in there without invitation," the burly man told her in his booming baritone._

 _She smiled lightly, turning up the charm a bit. "Well, why don't you ask those two men over there if they'd like to invite me in?"_

 _The guard looked confused, but nonetheless approached the two men, speaking softly at a rapid pace. The taller of the two men, blond and regally handsome, looked her up and down before smiling slightly and nodding his head. The guard then turned and waved Rose over._

 _"Hello, gentlemen," Rose greeted coyly, leaning down a bit just to watch as the blond man peaked down at her cleavage, temporarily distracted. "I just came over to ask if either of you were interested in taking a spin or two around the dance floor with me."_

 _The two men exchanged a look before the blond man faced her again with a smug grin and said, "I'd be delighted."_

 _He slid out of the booth and offered his arm to her, which she accepted with the same easy air she seemed to do everything. As they walked over to the dance floor, Rose passed a gaping Pearl and winked teasingly._

 _The music had taken on a slow, smooth rhythm, couples drifting closer as they swayed back and forth together. Rose's partner easily pulled her close to him, leading the dance in the same way he seemed to take over everything. His hand gripped her waist firmly while his other gripped her perfectly manicured fingers between his._

 _"I never did get your name, soldier," Rose asked the man, looking up at him through long eyelashes._

 _"It's Eric Northman," he told her, his voice a bit raspier than she'd expected._

 _She smiled gently, giving into instinct and placing her head on his shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Northman."_


	2. Chapter 2

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Rose tried not to wince at her icy greeting from Eric as he glared her down, looking more enraged that elated. While she hadn't exactly expected a warm welcome, she'd figured he would've at least been surprised that she was still alive after all these years. During their time spent together, Rose had never revealed her past to Eric and left when she was worried that he was getting to close to the truth.

"I'd expected at least a few pleasantries before we got into the nitty gritty, soldier," Rose quipped back, her guard going up as she stared down Eric's familiar, stony face.

She glanced around the room and saw that Eric had brought two others with him. Another male vampire and a blond female human. _Eric's type hasn't changed much, has it?_ Rose thought to herself a bit jealously before reminding herself that too many decades had passed for her to be upset about Eric's romantic liaisons.

"Answer the goddamn question, Rose," Eric spat back at her, fangs popping out in anger.

The physical threat had Rose retreating into a robotic, defensive version of herself. "If you're going to behave like a spoiled child, you might as well go back to Asscrack, Louisiana. Flashing your fangs will get you nowhere in finding Godric," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't miss the impressed look that both Eric's human and Isabel sent her way as she refused to back down from her former lover's penetrating gaze.

"You do not say his fucking name. You aren't fit to lick the bottom of his shoes," Eric replied as he stood from his seat on the couch, yet he still obeyed and put away his fangs. He circled around the room like a jungle cat stalking its prey, eyes never leaving Rose.

"Godric," Rose emphasized with a pointed look at Eric, "has gone missing and I am here to help find him. Godric became a very close friend of mine in the last few decades—not that you would know since the two of you haven't spoken in years."

Eric didn't have a rebuttal for that, instead choosing to stay silent, save for a minor huffing sigh. "Are you certain that the Fellowship is responsible for Godric's kidnapping?" He asked, choosing to ignore Rose for now.

"No."

"Yes."

Isabel and Stan's respective responses made the rest of the room let out their own sighs of frustration.

"They're the only ones capable of pulling this off," Stan argued, turning to glare at Isabel.

"Godric is over 2,000 years old! Such amateurs couldn't just take him," Isabel replied with a hefty glare of her own.

The young woman on the couch piped up, "If they took Godric, I'll hear it. That's my job."

Rose raised an eyebrow. So the girl could read minds? Yet when Rose directed thoughts specifically towards her, she didn't respond at all. Was she intentionally ignoring Rose?

"We shouldn't wait on them to make their next move," Stan started, gesticulating strongly. "We need to strike now, a full-on attack."

Rose let out a sharp laugh. "A church dedicated to hating vampires is suddenly attacked. I wonder who did it?"

"It's the best plan we've got!"

"I doubt that the King of Texas would appreciate you destroying the AVL's entire political agenda," the unknown vampire added in.

"Fuck that! The Great Revelation was the biggest mistake we've ever made," Stan hissed back, heckles raised.

"You're just mad because you want to use Godric in one of your little power plays, you fucking idiot," Isabel yelled at him, poking him hard in the chest with one perfectly manicured finger.

At this point, Rose was praying for death to come for her, as it would be less miserable than listening to Godric's pets fight like children. Just as she thought that, Eric burst out, "You're all completely incompetent! Has Godric fallen so low as to surround himself with such clowns?"

His words stopped all bickering as both Stan and Isabel turned to give Eric equally icy looks. Isabel raised an eyebrow and shot back, "Your invitation, Mr. Northman, was only a courtesy. This is not your territory."

"Run on back to Louisiana, Sheriff," Stan told him mockingly, waving his hand towards the exit. "And take your little puppets with you."

"He has just as much of a right to be here as you do," Rose snapped at Stan before she could stop herself. Eric looked at her in surprise, but didn't respond.

"And I am nobody's puppet," the blond woman added, looking extremely offended.

Rose clapped her hands together and walked closer to Stan and Isabel. "We need a plan. Getting Godric out of there will not be some half-assed shit show—it has to be well thought out or we'll lose him."

"I have a fucking plan," Stan almost whined.

"Your 'plan' is fucking stupid, Stan," Rose bluntly stated, not bothering to sugarcoat her words. "If this human can read thoughts, we should use her to our advantage and scope out the church."

"Uh, I have a name!" The woman huffed. "It's Sookie."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Sookie is an asset we need to use."

"I don't give a damn what Sookie can do. We are going with my plan!" Stan snapped.

Isabel huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Have you always been this stupid or is it just now rearing its ugly head?"

They launched into another row of bickering, causing Rose to give up on reasoning with them. Eric, equally frustrated, knocked over a glass vase in frustration, garnering the attention of everyone in the room.

"Godric has given you everything and when he needs you, you spend your time bickering like children!" He yelled, eyes blazing with rage.

"Don't any of you care that there is a traitor in your midst?" Eric's other vampire companion asked.

"That's impossible," Isabel stated, the epitome of disbelief.

"It's true!" Sookie said. "A man tried to kidnap me and Bill at the airport!"

The other vampire—Bill, she assumed—gave Isabel and Stan a searching look. "And you were the only ones who knew we were coming."

Isabel and Stan immediately lay into each other, pointing fingers and trying to find a way to blame the incident on the other person. Rose tried to block out their bickering but finally got tired of it and yelled loudly, "Enough!"

The room went deadly quiet.

"Here's what we're going to do," Rose began. "Our new friend, Sookie, is going to infiltrate the Fellowship."

"Absolutely not!" Bill spoke up, shaking his head violently.

Sookie placed a placating hand on his arm while Eric said, "Let her finish."

"She can pretend that she want to join the church and scope out their thoughts before going on her merry way," Rose finished. "It'll be painless, bloodless, and stress-free."

"No," Bill refused. "During the day, we can't protect her."

"Bill, I'll be fine," Sookie assured him in a soft-spoken tone, rubbing a soothing hand on his arm.

Rose nodded. "And I'll go with Sookie, keep an eye on her."

Eric looked her up and down before sending Rose a derisive look. "And what can you offer in the way of protection?"

"I may not be a vampire, Mr. Northman, but I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve," Rose quipped with a coy smile that wasn't returned. A part of her felt a bit disappointed, hoping that he might banter with her the way that they used to. It seemed time couldn't change the fact that Eric viewed their parting as less than amicable.

"This is a fucking waste of time," Stan snapped before leaving the room in a huff, more petulant than a child sent to time out. He slammed the door shut behind him, the sound resonating through the silent room.

Bill suddenly stood from his place beside Sookie and grabbed Eric by the elbow, his eyes boring into the side of the older vampire's face. "A word, please," Bill hissed out, sounding more like an order than a request.

Rose and Isabel watched them go to the far side of the room and begin speaking in quiet undertones. Sookie watched the two men with a wary expression, as though she feared what they were speaking of. Rose took this chance to introduce herself to the human.

"I'm sorry we haven't had a formal introduction yet," Rose told Sookie, smiling slightly. "I'm Rose Martineau."

"Sookie Stackhouse," she replied, standing up with an outstretched hand to shake.

Hesitantly, Rose accepted her offered hand with a tentative shake before withdrawing it quickly. "So, you're a telepath? That must come in handy."

"Yes, well, it certainly livens things up a bit," Sookie said, awkwardly shuffling back and forth on her feet. "I can't read vampires' thoughts, but I can catch pretty much everything else."

 _So, you know exactly what I'm thinking right now?_ Rose thought, yet Sookie gave no indication that she'd heard her. "Interesting. And you're sure that this is all ok with you? I'll be going with you, but that doesn't mean I can guarantee your safety."

Sookie shrugged and gave Rose an innocent smile. "Eric is paying me well for my contributions to finding Godric."

"Bleed him dry," Rose teased as chuckled at the thought of small Sookie hassling a domineering Eric out of money.

Sookie didn't reply, instead getting this far off look on her face as she stared Rose down. Her eyes were vacant and her expression had gone completely slack, her light brown eyes boring into Rose's own green ones.

"Sookie? Are you alright?" Isabel asked, concerned by this odd behavior.

Suddenly, the young telepath shook herself out of this stupor and eyed Rose suspiciously. "What are you?" She asked. "Because I can't read your thoughts and the only things my powers don't work on are vampires."

Rose, startled by the sudden onslaught of questioning, turned away from Sookie to face Isabel. "Give us a moment, would you?"

The older vampire nodded, though her expression was wary, eyeing the two women as she left the room. Rose subconsciously picked at her maroon colored nails, pondering how much to tell Sookie with Eric still in the room. Despite their time spent together in New York, she had decided that she didn't trust Eric enough to explain what she was. He would occasionally drop hints, but she became adept at distracting him—through legitimate and dubious means.

"Look, Sookie, you seem nice and I'm sure you mean well, but what I am is not exactly any of your business," Rose told her candidly, arms crossed over her chest.

Sookie didn't back down an inch, placing a well manicured hand on her hip as she replied, "Well, if we're going to work together on this, I'm making it my business."

While Rose respected Sookie's backbone, she didn't appreciate the tone she was taking on. It sounded entitled and disrespectful so Rose put her best bitch face on, eyes cold and calculated, her full lips pulled up into a slight snarl.

"I suggest you watch your tone, girl, before I have to come all the way down there and make you," Rose snapped, glaring down at Sookie. The blond woman froze, backing up slightly.

In a flash, Bill and Eric returned, the former coming to Sookie's side and wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders. He placed himself between the two women, steadfastly staring Rose down as he did so.

"And I suggest you stop threatening Sookie, Ms. Martineau, as she is mine," Bill hissed, fangs popping out.

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's entirely unnecessary, Mr…?"

"Compton. Bill Compton."

"Mr. Compton, I merely do not appreciate your human poking her nose in where she shouldn't. It's quite rude," Rose succinctly said, her tone airy and dismissive. "It'd probably be best if you went back to your hotel and got some rest. You'll be needing it for tomorrow."

The couple gladly turned and left the room, Bill still holding Sookie tightly against his side. After their speedy exit, it left only Rose and Eric behind, facing one another as they waited for the other person to speak. Rose watched as Eric avoiding her gaze, instead choosing to scan over the room, as though he hadn't seen it before.

Finally fed up with the silence, Rose burst out, "Are we going to address _this_?" She gestured between the two of them.

"There's nothing to address," Eric flippantly remarked, looking positively bored with the conversation, but Rose knew him well enough to know that it was all an act. A façade to hide any kind of real emotions from the outside world.

Rose grabbed him by the elbow, forcing him to finally look at her. "I'm sorry, Eric. I'm sorry that I left without speaking to you and that I spent most of our relationship lying every step of the way. But that doesn't negate the feelings I had for you—that was all real, I swear."

"Will you please stop all this whining? You're only making yourself look like a greater fool than you already are," Eric snapped at her, ripping his arm from her grasp. "There was no relationship to speak of, so it's better if we just move on from the whole affair. I already have."

Each word was like an icy shot through the heart. Despite Eric's dismissal, Rose had loved him very dearly from the moment they'd met. Even now, those feelings still lingered. She still got a thrill in her stomach every time he looked her way, an uninhibited glee when she saw one of those rare, genuine smiles of his. Hearing him dismiss this all as some kind of "ships in the night", passing fancy was heartbreaking.

"Alright," Rose said, all emotion gone from her voice. She, too, was quite adept at hiding her emotions and so not a single tear slipped out as she faced heartbreak head on. "I understand, Mr. Northman."

She began to leave the room when he suddenly pulled her back, spinning her around to face him. She felt a shock of excitement run through her body, hope building inside her chest.

"Don't think this means I don't want answers about what you are and your relationship with Godric. And I will have them, soon."

With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving a devastated Rose in his wake.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who left reviews! I really like where this story is going, so I can't wait to continue it. Please leave a review letting me know what you think/any theories for future chapters/general chit-chat! I hope you're enjoying the story so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

Rose straightened out her skirt for what seemed like the thousandth time. She'd kept her appearance as innocent and modest as possible. Her wardrobe included a knee-length, white sundress with lace embroidery at the hem and a sweetheart neckline. Over that was a soft, caramel cardigan and similarly colored wedge sandals on her feet. Her nails had been scrubbed of any kind of nail polish and her jewelry was made up of only a silver cross necklace hanging just above her neckline.

"You look positively puritanical," Isabel had remarked when Rose emerged, ready to go to the Hotel Carmilla to visit Sookie and Bill.

Her hair was kept up in a tight bun, hoping she conveyed the kind of aura that most vampire-hating Christians had about them.

When they entered the hotel, Rose felt hilariously out of place. Everyone was in varying levels of dark, swanky clothing, all hoping to catch some vampire's eye. Rose fit into the ambiance about as well as a Disney princess would.

Isabel, Hugo, and Rose all loaded into an elevator and went up to the floor that Bill and Sookie were staying on, easily finding their room and knocking on the door. Isabel knocked once, to no answer. She knocked again and was greeted with Bill's voice calling, "Who's there?"

"Isabel, from the summit."

The door was opened to the sight of Bill in a bath robe—it didn't take long for Rose to figure out what they'd just interrupted and she fought back laughter at the sight of this serious vampire wearing a purple, fluffy robe.

"And who is he?" He demanded, eyeing Hugo suspiciously.

Hugo and Rose had met just before they'd came. He'd seemed nice enough and obviously worshipped the ground that Isabel walked on, but Rose feared that he was giving more to Isabel than he would ever get back.

The vampire in question gave Bill an irritated look. "His name is Hugo and he's mine," she stated, hoping the finality in her tone would end the conversation.

Bill stepped aside, allowing the trio to enter their hotel room. Sookie was waiting for them, also wearing a robe like Bill's, which only made Rose grin smugly. Call her childish, but she found the entire thing rather humorous.

Ever the courteous host, Bill went over and warmed up two bottles of Tru Blood for himself and Isabel.

"I know you were worried about Sookie going to the church with only Rose, so I thought Hugo would be able to help," Isabel explained to the two of them as she accepted her bottle.

Bill looked at her suspiciously. "Why would you want to help us?"

"Godric is my sheriff, not yours. It would be unacceptable for me to expect you to risk this without offering my own form of reassurance," Isabel replied.

Bill turned his look onto Hugo, who shifted nervously next to Isabel. "And why do you want to help us?"

"I'd do anything for Isabel," Hugo vowed, turning to give Isabel a particularly adoring look that made Rose want to barf.

Sookie stared at him for a moment before turning to Bill. "It's true. He loves her a lot." She faced Isabel again, smiling fondly. "You. He loves you a lot."

"And I him." Isabel placed a chaste kiss on Hugo's cheek before getting back to business. "Consider what I'm offering. If for no other reason, Sookie and Rose will look less suspicious with Hugo. People of the church tend to distrust a woman who is without a man."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Rose piped up, thinking of some of her more difficult run ins with churches in general. Mostly centuries ago, but the Fellowship, as far as their evolution of ideals, was at the same level as those puritanical churches.

Sookie nodded. "Bill, I have to agree with her on that one."

The trio left their hotel room, making plans for Hugo and Rose to come back around lunchtime to meet up with Sookie. The evening would be coming to a close soon, so Hugo and Isabel left to spend some last precious hours together.

Rose was about to leave as well, but paused when she spotted Eric lounging in the lobby. He sat across from an unknown woman with dark, shoulder length hair. She had her back to Rose, so it was unclear whether or not this woman was a vampire. Due to the fact that Eric wasn't trying to feed on her, she was more inclined to believe that the woman was a vampire.

Suddenly, the woman got up and left the bar, heading off down the hallway. Rose took this as her opportunity to catch Eric before he went to sleep. She took the seat vacated by the mysterious woman. Eric watched her approach and sit with an indifferent look.

"You want answers, so I'll give them to you," Rose told him quickly. "Ask me and I'll tell you whatever you want to know. I feel like I…owe you that much."

He didn't acknowledge the last part of her words, instead choosing to immediately start his questioning. "What are you?"

Rose let out a shaky sigh, keeping her eyes locked on the crimson carpet underneath her feet. "I don't really know."

"There you go again, lying to me and playing the part you want me to believe," Eric lashed out, moving in a flash so that he was right against Rose, his eyes flashing with rage.

"No! No, I'm not. It's not that I can't explain what I am, I just don't know what term to use," Rose exclaimed, her eyes boring into Eric's, expression pleading. She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her hair with a shaking hand. "As far as I know, there's no one else like me."

Eric had obviously lost his patience. "So, explain. Now."

"My mother was a witch," Rose told him, dropping down a volume level so only he could hear her. "She was very powerful and ran her own coven of witches in Paris during the 1500's. A vampire came to the shop we owned while she was gone and attacked me, thinking I was a witch too. He nearly drained every drop of blood from my body and left me there to die. My mother and the witches found me and she used some…untested methods to bring me back."

"Untested?"

"Necromancy and some powerful magic at that," Rose murmured, eyes once again on the ground. She refused to look at him, to face the expression of disgust she knew would be on his face by the end. "I spent years going through books and covens, trying to find out what spell she used to bring me back, but I've come up with nothing. All I know is that when I woke up, my mother was dead and I was alive—sort of, at least."

Eric eyed her skeptically. "There isn't a 'sort of' alive. You are or you aren't."

"Well, my heart still beats in my chest, my body functions like a normal human's would, but I haven't aged since the day I woke up. So riddle me this, Mr. Northman," Rose countered irately, "am I alive or am I dead?"

He stayed silent for a moment, watching her with a calculating expression, like a scientist observing his experiment. "How do I know that what you're telling me is true?"

"Besides the fact that we used to trust one another?" When met with silence, Rose sighed and picked at her nails. "Godric can back up everything I'm telling you. A few decades ago, I went to him for help in finding answers about what my mother did to me. He couldn't help me much, but we became very…close for the duration of my stay with him and his nest."

She'd hoped that Eric might offer her a kind word or even a simple thank you for telling her all this information. But he merely leveled her with yet another blank expression and said, "That will be all. You can leave now."

Rose felt a hot flash of fury launch through her as she shot to her feet, glaring at Eric. He didn't even acknowledge her, instead choosing to make eyes at some red head across the room. It was in that moment that it became very clear to Rose that the man she had fallen in love with was long gone and any sort of feelings he'd had for her.

 **Upstate New York, 1945**

 _Rose stretched her arms up above her head, blearily blinking her eyes open as she took in her surroundings. She immediately recognized the room of the mansion she'd been staying in with Eric. It was just past nightfall, as Rose had gotten into the habit of waking up when Eric did. In their short few weeks together, they'd developed a sort of routine._

 _In the evenings, they would wake up and go into the city together. They would drink and have fun for hours on end—Eric may have a snack here or there—and then they'd return to the mansion where they would have insanely good sex to end the night before going to sleep just as the sun went down._

 _Kicking the silk sheets off of her body, Rose got up from the extravagant bed and went down into the luxurious cubby that Eric had built in the basement of the mansion. It was decked out in nothing but black and red décor. The bed in the center of the room was king-sized with crimson sheets that Rose had become very familiar with._

 _When she entered the room, Eric had her by the waist in an instant, throwing her down onto the bed as he loomed over her, smirking._

 _"Why, Mr. Northman, I am shocked by this scandalous behavior!" Rose teased, giggling out the words as the vampire began to pepper chaste kisses down the side of her neck. She could feel his fangs against her skin, a silent question of if he could feed. In response, Rose inclined her neck farther to the side and let out a shaky moan when he plunged his fangs into her neck, sucking her blood greedily._

 _It was a mixed feeling of pain and pleasure as he fed on her, but he didn't for long before using his own blood to heal the wound and then press his bloodied mouth to hers. Before, Rose had been disgusted by the whole practice of feeding, but Eric had changed a lot of rules that she'd set for herself. He made her question everything she thought she'd ever known about herself. He made Rose feel…safe and secure, in a way she hadn't had since she was human._

 _"Min älskling," she purred in between fiery kisses. "Kommer det alltid att vara så här?"_

 _"Alltid. Du och jag, för evigt," Eric replied, pulling back to stare into her eyes as he said it. In his eyes, Rose saw a deep tenderness that she knew was love. She knew that they loved each other and that their bond was a rare one, so strong after so short a time._

 _But she also knew, even while lost in the throws of passion, that it could not really be forever, as he promised. She wouldn't allow herself to let go of all her inhibitions like this for much longer._

 _So Rose made a plan, then and there, to leave Eric that next morning while he was underground._

* * *

 **A/N: Another little tidbit of info on Eric and Rose's relationship in the 40's! I'm very grateful for all the wonderful support this story has been receiving and I'll try to continue to update as often as I can (though if you've read any of my other stories you'll know that I can be very inconsistent depending on my schedule).**

 **The Swedish I used in this chapter is straight from Google Translate as I do not speak Swedish at all, so sorry for any grammatical errors for those of you who do speak it. This is what their exchange generally meant.**

 **"My darling," ... "** **Will it always be like this?"**

 **"Always. You and I, forever."**

 **I'd like to give a little shout out to TheDoctorsTrueCompanion (also thanks for your support on my other stories!), M-chanchen, vxmpire, and an anonymous Guest for reviewing on the previous chapters! Also, I'll give a brief shoutout to everyone who favorited and followed the story so far.**

 **Favorite: Beccylein, HannaSun, KarmaBites, Loveteenwolfxo, M-chanchen, Rayna17, TheDoctorsTrueCompanion, ThePrettyRecklessRock, Womire001, angelvoice15, saori165, ssd602, and vxmpire**

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	4. Chapter 4

"So, I will be playing the coveted role of Rufus's sister, Wendy Dobson, and I'm with you because I'm your maid of honor and lending a helping hand to this wedding," Rose went over with Hugo and Sookie at Hotel Carmilla's bar as they finished up their lunch. She was trying to make sure all their bases were covered, in case the Fellowship got a little too in depth with their questions.

"Got it," Sookie said.

"And you'll be needing an engagement ring," Rose added, giving Hugo a pointed look.

The man dug through his pockets and pulled out what was obviously a ring from Isabel. "This is for you," he told Sookie, watching has she quickly slipped it onto her finger.

"Oh, Hugo, yes! A thousand times yes," Sookie teased.

Rose rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the telepath's antics, at least glad she was trying to keep up what was a slowly slipping group morale. "Also, Hugo better do all the talking. Churches like that just want us to sit down, shut up, and look pretty."

"Easy, I've been doing it for years," Sookie replied, straightening out her dress. "It'll make it easier for me to focus on their thoughts if I don't have to worry about keeping up a conversation."

"But if they ask you any questions, are you going to be okay?" Hugo asked, eyeing Sookie skeptically. "Are you going to be able to spout out the hateful things they want you to say?"

"I don't just hear the hateful things people say. I hear the stuff that's so mean even hateful people won't say it out loud," Sookie assured him, although her words made Rose feel sorry for the poor girl, having ignorant crap like that floating around in her head. "Trust me, I've got plenty of material to work with."

"Good," Rose spoke up. "We'll need all the ignorance you can spit out."

Sookie nodded before turning to Hugo. "This may be a bit strange, seeing as we just met and all, but you're the only other human I've ever met who's dated a vampire…"

"Go ahead," Hugo encouraged, laying down his napkin and leaning back in his chair. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything!" She joked. "Do you and Isabel fight?"

"Like crazy! But I've found with other women that I didn't fight with, it was mostly just because I didn't care enough to bother," Hugo said solemnly.

Rose whistled. "Shit, that's messed up, Hugo," she muttered.

"Maybe, but it's true."  
Sookie smiled fondly and said, "Even when I'm fighting with Bill, and I'm screaming and I'm so mad, in the middle of it all I think to myself that we're fighting for our relationship. For each other. We're fighting to stay together."

"Do you ever…" Hugo paused before shaking his head. "Never mind."

"What?" Sookie asked eagerly, though Rose wondered if she should even ask. Clearly whatever Hugo was about to say was hardly going to be encouraging.

"Lately, all Isabel and I've been fighting about is her turning me. Whenever I bring it up, she just shuts down and refuses to discuss it," Hugo confessed.

Sookie's eyebrows raised nearly to her hairline. "Really? That's a thing people do?"

Rose couldn't help but blurt out, "It's never occurred to you at all?"

"How could it not?" Hugo wondered, letting out his frustrations to the telepath. "It's all fine now, but what happens when we're in our 70's or 80's and need walkers to get around? They won't love us then."

Rose watched as Sookie's immediately expression fell, her eyes dewy and downcast. "We should get going," Rose murmured, grabbing her bag and hopping down from the bar. Sookie followed suit, refusing to make any eye contact with Hugo.

"Sookie, listen, I'm sorry," Hugo told her, gently grabbing hold of her elbow. "I shouldn't have brought that up and upset you."

Sookie gave him a kind smile and shrugged. "It's fine, really. Besides, now if I die today, who cares? At least then I won't have to grow old feeling unloved and unwanted."

Rose wasn't so sure she agreed with the telepath's mindset, but chose instead to keep her mouth shut. After all, she had immortality and therefore no stake in this conversation.

They arrived at the Fellowship in the afternoon with the sun high over their heads. As they entered the church grounds, a woman in a matching skirt and blazer directed them into the parking lot with an annoyingly perky smile plastered to her face.

"Why do I recognize her?" Sookie asked aloud.

Rose sighed. "Because that's the reverend's wife, Sarah Newlin. She's always preaching on the TV about the damnation of vamps."

"Oh, right," Sookie muttered more to herself than the rest of the passengers. "In real life, she kind of looks like vanilla pudding."

The trio exited Hugo's car and each took on their own persona, Sookie threading her arm through her "fiancé's" while Rose pasted on a wide grin—the grin of what she hoped was a newly chosen maid of honor. Sarah Newlin was still waiting for them when they'd left the parking lot.

"Hey, there! I saw you coming up and thought I'd greet you myself. I'm Sarah Newlin." She surveyed the group before her, smile never slipping, and added, "And y'all are?"

Hugo opened his mouth to speak, but Sookie bypassed him quickly, holding out her hand to Sarah. "Hi, I'm Holly Simpson. I cannot believe I'm meeting you in person! You are as cute as a button," she gushed.

"Thank you, Holly! And you are like a cool breeze on a summer's day," Sarah told her, her high-pitched voice spiking to eardrum piercing frequencies.

Rose watched the exchange, fighting to maintain a calm, perky façade. She wondered what the hell Sookie was doing as she continued to chitchat with Sarah.

"And you are?" Sarah asked Hugo and Rose.

Once again, Hugo opened his mouth to speak, but Sookie quickly cut him off.

"Oh, silly me! This is my fiancé, Rufus Dobson. I just love saying that word!" Sookie began to speak faster and faster, the words rushing out of her mouth like water from a faucet. "And this is my dearest, future sister, Wendy Dobson. She's my maid of honor, so she wanted to help me scope out the church. For our wedding. Which we plan to have here, hopefully…"

Sarah seemed a bit taken aback by Sookie's motor mouth, but otherwise didn't seem to pick up on any odd behavior. "Excellent! Well, it's an honor to meet you both," Sarah said, nodding her head to each of them.

Rose smiled. "The honor's all ours."

"Now, how about you come inside and we'll see if Steve is available," Sarah replied and began her strut towards the inside of the church. "He absolutely loves weddings, so I'm sure he'd be glad to meet you all."

"For real? The reverend himself?" Sookie practically squealed, causing Rose to give her a wide-eyed look when Sarah's back was turned. "That would be just wonderful!"

Sarah let out a tinkling laugh. "Well, come on, then!"

As the group followed her inside, Rose gripped Sookie's arm tightly and hissed in her ear, "What happened to keeping your mouth shut?"

Sookie let out a shaky sigh and shrugged her shoulders, pulling away from Rose's hold. "I talk a lot when I'm nervous!"

Rolling her eyes, Rose fell in behind them and kept to the plan of keeping her mouth shut. She was on the watch for any kind of suspicious behavior that might show the Fellowship was onto them. If she got worried, she was supposed to text a disposable phone that Isabel had with her.

Once they were greeted and then seated across from both the Newlin's in Steve's office, Sookie once again began a tirade that never seemed to end.

"It's actually funny because Rufus and I met at church, but we all left after we realized that our pastor was…a bit iffy," Sookie laid out in a conspiratorial tone. Rose had to give her some points for style because her story was absolutely reeling both the reverend and his wife in.

"He was a homosexual," Steve guessed.

Sookie shrugged, smiling a little, helpless grin that would charm the pants off of any man. "We don't know. He may have been, but what became very clear was that he was a… _sympathizer_ ," Sookie hissed the last word, as though fearing there were any vampires nearby.

"Preaching to the congregation about _forgiveness_ and holding out a hand in _friendship_ ," Rose added, fake shuddering. "The whole thing was just plain blasphemous."

"See, that really ticks me off," Steve burst out. "How can you claim to be a God faring man if you love the very thing that God detests?"

"It's upsetting," Sookie agreed with a shake of her head.

"Yes, it is upsetting," Hugo chimed in. "But that's why my fiancée and I are here. We want to make this our new home."

His passionate outburst made Rose look at him in surprise. It was much more emotional than she'd expected, given that Hugo seemed to be quite the strong, silent type.

"We are thrilled that you've chosen us," Sarah told the trio as she gave her husband's shoulder a fond squeeze.

Sookie seemed to have zoned out for a moment, blinking hard when she came back. Whatever she'd heard had her passionately throwing in, "It's a relief to be amongst like-minded people. I don't care what anyone says about vampires being able to control themselves. I know better. I know that each and every one of them is a blood-thirsty killer."

Sarah and Steve began to take them on a tour of the church, explaining its roots and all that. Rose hardly paid any attention, instead watching the way that Sookie was eyeing the couple warily. Deep down in her stomach, Rose had a bad feeling about this whole meeting. Something just wasn't right.

Right before they were going to enter the chapel, Steve got a brief phone call. As he spoke, he kept glancing back at the three of them. Each time his eyes met Rose's, he would quickly look away, as though he were afraid to hold eye contact for too long. After he got on the phone, he started trying to amp them up for entering their chapel, but Rose only noticed the way his hand began to tremor a bit on the door handle or the sweat starting to form at the edge of his wife's hairline.

Something was definitely not right.

He opened the heavy doors and Rose was blinded by the immense amount of light flowing through the large floor to ceiling windows at the front of the chapel. The room was very large and extravagantly decorated. Rose may have regarded it as beautiful if it hadn't belonged to a group of extremist assholes.

"Oh my gosh," Sookie breathed, eyes captivated by the light in the room.

Rose played her part and murmured, "This is absolutely gorgeous, Holly!"

"I know, I just love the way it glows in here. Particularly in the afternoon," Sarah commented thoughtfully.

Steve hummed in agreement. "Yes, it's very inspiring."

"You absolutely have to get married here!" Rose enthused with a bright smile, giving Hugo's arm a squeeze.

Hugo grinned as well and nodded. "This is where we're getting married. I can't wait to see you walk down that aisle, Holly."

"Me either, honey," Sookie cooed.

Steve eyed the happy couple and asked, "Have either of you ever been to a lock in?"

"A lock in?" Sookie asked.

He nodded. "Oh, yeah, it's loads of fun. Everybody brings their sleeping bags…"

As the reverend trailed off from his train of thought for a moment, he and his wife watched Sookie's face for a moment. Rose flicked her gaze over to the telepath and saw the way Sookie's smile became tighter, as though she were struggling to keep it in place, and her eyes were flipping back and forth between the couple before her. Something was very wrong.

"That lock in sounds like a lot of fun," Sookie murmured in a shaking voice, turning to wrap her hand around Hugo's wrist. "Rufus, we should go home and get our sleeping bags now."

Hugo gave Sookie a confused look. "But the tour's not over yet."

"We would hate to miss that lock in, though," Rose added, trying to convey to this dimwitted human with her eyes that they obviously needed to get the fuck out of this twisted place.

Steve did that creepy, tight-lipped smile of his as he assured them, "The lock in is not until much later."

Just as he said that, an older, sleazy looking man came over and muttered to the reverend, "You wanted to see me?"

"Oh, yes! Gang, this is my aide, Gabe. Gabe, this is the group I was telling you about earlier, our future newlyweds."

Gabe's eyes raked over them, lingering on Sookie's chest before finally speaking. "Pleased to meet you," was his smarmy answer.

"Hi," Sookie muttered meekly, leaning into Hugo. Rose didn't want to even think about what was going through that creepy bastard's head as his eyes remained glued to Sookie's breasts.

"Gabe will be joining us for the rest of the tour," Steve announced a bit giddily.

 _Oh, goodie,_ Rose thought. _How fucking peachy._

They continued on their farce of a tour, all the while Gabe lingered on the edges, eyes always watching their every movement. Rose could only pray that Hugo was sending out as many distress signals as he could to Isabel so that they would have backup by nightfall. She came to a stop with the rest of the group in front of a set of stairs leading into the church's basement.

"Now, I'd like to take y'all to a very special part of the church," Steve told them in a conspiratorial tone, all with that same fucking smirk on his face.

"There's more?" Sookie asked, fighting off the urge to make a break for it.

Steve sent the blond woman another one of his assuring, pastoral looks. "It's my father's tomb, which is located on the lower level."

The reverend's wife did not look very enthused with this idea. "Are you sure, honey?"

"Absolutely, darling," Steve practically hissed back, his eyes warning his wife that she was overstepping her boundaries.

Sarah ignored this warning. "Steve, I don't see the need to take them down there," she began but was cut off by her husband, who's unwavering grin finally fell.

"Yes, honey," he huffed out before facing Sookie again. "You can practically feel his presence," he cooed out.

 _He could give Norman Bates a run for his money in the creepy department,_ Rose thought.

"It's okay, we don't need to see it," Sookie tried to insist, but the reverend merely bowled over her.

"Oh, I insist," Steve cut in. "Our church was built on, much like St. Peter's tomb in the Catholic Church, only without being polluted by evil. Did you know that there was actually a vampire pope back in the Middle Ages?"

He gestured towards the stairs for the group to follow him down the cramped flight of stairs, which were poorly lit and clearly leading to nowhere pleasant.

"Rufus," Sookie whimpered, clinging to Hugo's arm.

"Claustrophobia," Rose made up on the spot. "Very inhibiting in situations like this."

"We're both pretty claustrophobic, actually," Hugo added in, gulping a bit as he eyed the stairs.

Steve gave them an annoyed look. "Well, at least take a quick little look-see, in that way you can say you saw the whole church and you make informed discussions."

His wife broke her act and now was looking very concerned. "Steve, please."

"It's alright, Sarah," Steve assured his wife as he gave the group a dark look. "This is something they need to see."

Sookie gave one last feeble attempt at keeping up their act. "But we've already decided to get married here. So why don't we go back to our apartment and we'll look at a calendar and call you to set up the date?"

"No. Gabe?"

Rose, anticipating this for a while now, stepped in quickly when the man made a grab for Sookie. "Touch her and I'll break your fingers," she hissed.

Gabe made a grab for Rose, then, but the woman swiftly punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. "Fucking bitch," he choked out, lunging forward while Sarah Newlin let out a shrill scream and Steve Newlin went for Sookie.

Rose turned to push Steve off of Sookie and Gabe took that as an opportunity to trap her in a chokehold with his arm, the other gripping her wrist in a vice-like grip. She struggled against him before managing to land a well-placed elbow to his ribcage. This only further pissed him off and he used the last moments of his grip on her to fling her down the stairs.

She heard a scream of "Rose!" as she rolled head first down the stairs. Blow after blow to her head left her feeling woozy on the landing. Her vision swam for a moment, the room spinning in all directions.

Just as she began to get her wits about her, she was drug up to her feet by Gabe and dragged over to the church's version of a cell, flung in first before Sookie and Hugo followed right behind. The reverend gave them all a disgusted look before leaving with his lap dog.

"Well, this could've gone a whole lot fucking better," Rose muttered through a splitting headache.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for all the follows, favorites, and (my personal favorite) reviews! I can't wait to delve deeper into Rose's past as well as her connections to Godric. The next chapter will feature a little flashback to give you an idea of the extent of their relationship. Please leave a review letting me know what you think so far as well as any theories for how Eric will react when seeing Godric and Rose together.**

 **Lots of love to you all!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Dallas, Texas 1989**

 _"How many times must we have this conversation, Rose?" Godric asked with a sigh, falling back onto the comfort of his bed as though the thought of doing this again were already exhausting. The rest of the nest was out that night; off at some bar or another in a seedy part of the city, causing only God knows what kind of trouble._

 _"At least once more, Godric," Rose told him sternly. She laid down next to the over 2000 years old vampire on his bed, turning so their eyes were locked on each other. "I have to leave."_

 _"No, you don't. You've enjoyed being in Dallas for nearly two decades, why not make it three?" Godric tried to keep his tone light, but it was clear that he'd become very close to Rose and the idea of her leaving was very difficult to comprehend._

 _Rose gently placed her hand on his pale cheek, brushing a thumb across his perfectly curved cheekbone. "This life—your nest—was never for me. It was a temporary replacement for what I'm really looking for."_

 _"And what is that?"_

 _Rose sighed and turned to look up at the bland, colorless ceiling, her hand falling away from his face. "I want some kind of explanation, some sort of meaning for my life. What am I meant to do with the time I've been given? And how much of it do I actually have? All this uncertainty is slowly driving me insane, Godric."_

 _He rolled onto his side, draping his arm across her stomach in an embrace. "I know. I fight you every step of the way, but I know you have to go."_

 _She smiled up at him, the first genuine he'd seen in weeks. Slowly, she pushed up and softly pressed her full lips against his, a familiar touch between the two. His hand drifted up and down her body as they kissed, coming to rest on the bare skin exposed just above her hip. Her tongue briefly swept across his bottom lip, a clear sign to move things further, but Godric slowed things down, slowly pulling away._

 _For a moment, he just gazed down at her face. Rose had come to him in 1971 with nothing but the clothes on her back and a questionable past. He'd remembered her from that night, when she'd enchanted his progeny with one dance and a coy look, and found himself accepting her into his home. Ever since then, she'd managed to get under his skin and make a home there._

 _"What are you staring at?" Rose asked, giggling._

 _He smiled slightly. "Your companionship has brought me a great deal of joy."_

 _Rose felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes. This decision wasn't easy for her either, leaving the comfort she'd found here in Dallas. "You've made me very happy as well, Godric. More happy than I've ever been."_

 _"What of my progeny? Did Eric never make you happy?"_

 _She sent the vampire a warning look. "I'm trying to have a sentimental moment with you, but you're trying to psychoanalyze me again."_

 _"You refuse to address him at all, it's only fair I get something out of you before you leave," Godric pointed out coyly._

 _Rose huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, sitting up from the bed. "He was a whirlwind, creating so much chaos in my life, yet I found myself feeling more content with him than anywhere else. I loved him very much."_

 _"You still love him," Godric added softly. Despite the physical intimacy of their relationship, they'd never felt anything other than fondness for one another._

 _She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I walked out on him and he will never let me forget that."_

 _"You could go to him, apologize. Maybe he could surprise you and accept it," Godric offered in hopes of cheering her up._

 _Letting out a bitter laugh, Rose joked, "Hell would freeze over before Eric Northman willingly stood in the same room as me." She paused and leaned down to kiss Godric once more. "Enough of the relationship talk. We have the house to ourselves and I intend to use these final hours wisely."_

 _The sex was her way of saying goodbye to Godric, a farewell she knew how to give. Goodbyes had never been something that came easily to Rose, always found them intimidating and all together disappointing. Yet she felt content when she slipped out of Godric's home that morning, catching a last minute flight to Paris. She knew that her relationship with Godric was far from over; it was a steel connection that would last a millennia._

* * *

Sookie stood up and pressed her hands against the mental fencing of their enclosure. "Godric, can you hear me? Isabel and Eric sent us. Godric!" She called out in vain before sighing and turning back to her companions. "I know he's here. I heard all the horrible stuff they were going to do to him."

Rose's stomach clenched at the thought, but tried to power through her anxieties about Godric. He was a 2000-year-old vampire who was very capable to taking care of himself. He would make it out of this.

"Remember how I said I was claustrophobic? I wasn't making that part up. It's bad. Okay, I can't take elevators, walk-in closets. You know, hotels where they tuck the sheets in all tight? Just thinking about that makes me want to scream." Hugo paced back and forth, ripping off his tie as he gasped in deep breaths of air.

Rose rolled her eyes. "For God's sake, Hugo, pull it together." She looked around the room and found a pile of board games behind her. The names made her chuckle darkly. "Shall we pass the time with a good ole game of Stakes and Silver? Or perhaps the classic Send 'Em Back to Hell?"

Sookie gave the games a disgusted look. "Ugh, what kind of monsters teach this hateful stuff to children."

"The same kind whose itinerary includes barbequing an innocent vampire for entertainment," Rose replied, ripping apart the game in her hand and scattering its pieces on the floor.

Hugo was beginning to sweat profusely. "I don't have time for games right now. I need to get the hell out of here."

Rose sent him an unimpressed look—who the hell had thought it was a good idea to send this guy with them—but Sookie took on an almost maternal air as she went over and placed a comforting hand on Hugo's shoulder, coaching him through his panic. "Take a deep breath and watch me. It's going to be okay and we'll get out of here."

"Okay, I'm good. I'm fine."

Sookie nodded and then began pacing back and forth, deep in thought. "So the Newlins knew we were coming once again, just like they did at the airport. Obviously there's a traitor in Godric's nest."

"A vampire who wants Godric out of the way?" Hugo suggested.

Rose nodded. "Stan has wanted to be sheriff for decades and he isn't a fan of Godric's more amiable approach to dealing with humans. He's been looking for a reason to fight the church for years."

"I've heard of ambition, but that's just crazy," Sookie told her.

Rose shrugged. "You've met the guy. Crazy is practically his middle name, although I will grant that I never would've expected him to willingly deal with the Fellowship."

Sookie paused for a moment before sighing and sitting down beside a slightly less pale Hugo. "Well, Bill should've sensed my fear by now. He's gonna come storming in at any moment."

"You don't sound very happy about that," Hugo pointed out.

Sookie gave him a look. "They're planning on frying a 2000 year old vampire for fun. Imagine what else they're capable of…"

They settled down for the night, huddled uncomfortably on the concrete floor. Sookie and Hugo fell asleep rather quickly, exhausted from the day's events, but Rose stayed awake for most of the night, lost in her thoughts. What would she do if they couldn't save Godric? Would she seek retribution for the loss of her friend or run away from her problems as she was apt to do?

Further more, it made no sense how Godric came into the Fellowship's possession in the first place. For all that they were strong in numbers, they were hardly a vigilant group of people. Seeing their leaders as well as home base made it clear that something wasn't adding up. They had to have had help in getting a hold on Godric—either through the traitor in their nest or other means.

"Rise and shine!" Steve Newlin's voice coming down the stairs to the basement was what woke Rose. Her other companions were already up and about, looking as downtrodden as the day before.

"This motherfucker, I swear," Rose muttered underneath her breath as she pushed herself up into a standing position, cracking her limbs as she went.

The reverend came down with his minion, Gabe, right behind him. "Refreshments? How did y'all sleep?"

Sookie glared Steve down. "They're coming for us, you know?"

Rather than worry, Steve looked practically giddy at the thought. "Oh, yeah, we were kind of hoping for that, right Gabe?"

"Yes, sir. Bring it on," the mindless troll said in what he probably thought was a menacing manner.

Rose snorted. "If I can manage to get the upper hand on you, it would take a millisecond for a vampire to crush you like a bug. So how about you keep the smack talk to a minimum, you empty headed ogre?"

Gabe let out what could only be described as a growl, but he didn't reply, instead letting the reverend keep talking. "We've been ready for them for a while now," Steve told Sookie condescendingly.

"You're going to get yourselves killed. That's not a threat, that's a fact," Sookie replied.

Steve didn't look the least bit cowed by that. "They've got you all twisted up with their—their glamoring and evil blood, haven't they?" He asked the telepath, circling her like an animal with its prey.

Sookie looked away from him, uncomfortable by his sudden onslaught against her. "You're the ones who're twisted. You call yourselves Christians? Jesus would be ashamed of you!" She hissed back.

Steve let out a laugh. "Oh, see I'm going to have to disagree with you there. Now, things got a little out of hand last night and I apologize for that, but I'm not the monster the vampire-loving media makes me out to be."

"Yes, you're just a ray of sunshine," Rose snapped sarcastically. "A real proponent for the people."

"Exactly!" Steve said, the sarcasm completely surpassing him. "All I want from you is a couple of answers and then I'll be more than happy to feed you a hot breakfast and send you on your way."

"What do you want to know?" Hugo asked quickly, pushing between the reverend and Sookie. Rose gave him an incredulous look—did he seriously believe the crock of bullshit this guy was spewing?

"Shut your mouth, Hugo, before I shut it for you," Rose snapped at him.

He ignored her, instead turning to Sookie. "Sookie, we need to get out of here. Tell them what they want to know," he advised the other human before facing the reverend again. "Her name is Sookie Stackhouse. I'm Hugo Ayers."

Rose let out a huffing sigh. "Say another word, Hugo, and I won't hesitate to break both your legs."

The reverend looked over at Sookie, scanning her up and down as though searching for some kind of answer. "Sookie Stackhouse. From Bon Temps?"

"How do you know where I'm from?"

The reverend ignored her question, continuing on, "You're Jason Stackhouse's sister…Am I right?"

Sookie's eyes widened. "You know Jason? He's got nothing to do with this."

The reverend seemed to have gotten whatever information he wanted because he immediately turned to Gabe and said, "Come on." The duo then rushed back upstairs, on the hunt once again.

"How do you know my brother?" Sookie shouted after them, but no reply came.

Rose immediately turned on Hugo and, without uttering a word, punched him in the jaw. He fell to the ground, shouting out in pain, but this time he found no sympathy with Sookie, who was equally pissed and glaring down at him.

"You start spewing information to those bastards again and I'm going for your legs," Rose threatened menacingly, her teeth bared at him. He pushed himself as far away from her as possible, but refused to back down.

"I'm getting us out of here one way or another. We waited for Bill all night and he didn't come, so we need to do whatever it takes to save ourselves," Hugo said, rubbing the bruise that had begun to form on his face.

"Do me a favor and shut the fuck up," Sookie snapped at him and for once Rose found herself agreeing with the telepath.

* * *

A couple hours later, Hugo started getting antsy again, pacing and sweating through his shirt. He stopped and shouted in the direction of the stairs, "Hey! I need to go to the bathroom. Hey! Come on, let me out of here!"

Sookie, a little less ticked off, handed him a bottle of water and said, "I'll turn my back."

Hugo chucked the water across the room and sighed. "I don't need that. I need to get the hell out of here!" He shouted pointedly.

"Hugo," Sookie began in a soothing voice. "You're not helping the situation. Just sit down and try to relax." She reached out and placed a hand on top of Hugo's, only to fall in this brief trance.

"Sookie?" Rose asked tentatively, coming to place a hand on Sookie's shoulder. The woman snapped out of it with a gasp before turning an accusing glare on Hugo.

"You. You're the traitor."

Before Rose got up and tried to punch him in the face again, he held out his hands in surrender. "I used to be just like you," he told Sookie. "Thought I was a real emancipated thinker, especially when Isabel took me to bed, and the sex was... amazing. The best I ev... well, you know. It's addictive, isn't it? To be desired by something that powerful."

"I'm no addict," Sookie snapped at him.

Hugo sat down on the ground, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, gaze on the ground. "Nah. I guess you wouldn't know how your life changes to suit them. You start missing work, can't get up in the morning, and can't stand to leave them after dark. Before you know it, you're somebody you don't even recognize."

Apparently Sookie did relate to what he was saying, because suddenly she couldn't hold his gaze, quickly changing the subject to a slightly more comfortable one. "So you went to the Fellowship because you couldn't control yourself?" Sookie's tone was judgmental and all together unforgiving.

"I begged Isabel to turn me," Hugo murmured. "It was the only way we could be together as equals, but they don't want that. They don't want us to be equal. She's just using me, the same way Bill is using you."

"You don't know Bill!" Sookie cut in.

"Pick up the pace, Hugo, because right now you're not winning either of us over," Rose added in.

Hugo glared at her. "Not that you would understand either. You're immortal, that barrier doesn't exist between you and vampires. You may not be as strong, but you're closer to even ground than humans will ever be."

Rose sighed. "You can't generalize an entire species just because you were slighted by one."

"Yeah, Bill is good to me," Sookie said.

"And yet here you are, doing his dirty work," Hugo pointed out maliciously. "I know a telepath's got to be a real prize for a vampire."

Rose stomped on his foot quickly, blank faced while he cursed. "Shut the fuck up, Benedict Arnold," she hissed.

"All they care about is their own kind," Hugo insisted. "That's why I joined the Fellowship."

"And look how they're treating you," Rose retorted, gesturing to the cage they were locked in. "Is this a high class treatment to you? They're using you, just like you claim vampires have used you. Either way, you're getting tossed out like yesterday's trash."

Hugo moved to the fenced enclosure around them and pounded a fist against it. "Gabe. Gabe!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "They know everything, so you can let me out now. Hey! Anybody!" Despite his cries, not a single person from the Fellowship came down.

"Like I said," Rose drawled, examining her nails with a bored expression, though her eyes were still sharp, cutting Hugo to his very core. "You're just some fangbanger that they'll be happy to be rid of soon."

"That's not true!" Hugo growled, hitting his fist against the fence one last time before he fell into his pattern of pacing like a caged animal—back and forth, back and forth.

Time passed slowly after that as the trio awaited some sort of verdict for their fates. Hugo spent most of the time alternating between yelling for Gabe and pacing, sweating profusely through his button down shirt while Sookie seemed to be checking the stairs every five seconds, as though she were waiting for Bill Compton to come rushing in and save her. Maybe she was, but as the hours went on and night fell, it became clear that help was a world away.

Rose wondered about Godric during this time. Was he safe? For all she knew, the Fellowship had already fried him that morning and now he was nothing but a pile of remains. Yet some part of her knew that if they'd killed him, they would enjoy making the group of "fangbangers" watch. _Fucking nutjobs_ , she thought venomously.

It must've been dark by the time Gabe came trudging down the stairs, waking everyone within a mile radius by the sound of his thick-soled boots. Rose wanted nothing more than to spit in his face, while Hugo reacted similarly to a puppy when his owner comes home.

Gabe's face was bruised up, bringing some small amount of amusement to Rose even as he came over to them. "Gabe, what happened to your face?" Hugo questioned before barreling on. "Listen, she knows everything, which never would have happened if you hadn't kept me locked down with a goddamn mind reader. I hope the reverend knows that I'm gonna need protection now."

As Hugo chattered on, Gabe had opened the door and entered their enclosure. Without saying a single word to the man, Gabe turned to him and socked him as hard as he could in the jaw. If she didn't hate him so much, Rose might've laughed.

After the first punch, Gabe continued to lay into him, punching and kicking at Hugo while he yelled abuse like, "You want protection, you fangbanging sack of shit? How's that for protection, huh? Here's a little more protection."

Sookie—sweet, gentle-hearted Sookie—couldn't stand to see this happen and pushed past Rose, shouting, "Stop that!"  
Gabe turned around on the blond, grabbing her by the forearms and squeezing. "You and your moron brother think you can make an asshole out of me, huh?"

Rose was quick to intervene, delivering a sharp blow to Gabe's side, causing him to drop the blond woman. Sookie quickly retreated from Gabe, crawling over to a corner in the room as he turned his wrath on Rose.

She hit him three consecutive times in the gut before he grabbed her, attempting to pin her arms behind her back.

"You think you're any better, sweetheart? You're just some slut with a necrophilia kink," Gabe hissed in her ear as Rose struggled against his grip. He punched her in the ribs, knocking the wind out of her. "How bout I show you a good time, honey? Will you scream for me like you do those goddamn fangers?"

Rose let out a roar of rage and slammed her elbow into his face, causing him to stumble back and cry out, clutching his now bleeding nose. While his guard was down, she kicked him in the stomach with the point of her heel, but he reached out and grabbed her leg, knocking her down onto the ground. Blood running down his face, Gabe smacked her across the left side of her face then the right, pressing his knee down onto her abdomen as she let out an animalistic growl.

"If you're listening, Godric," Rose hissed under her breath as she struggled against Gabe's hold on her, "now would be the fucking time to show up!"  
With that, she kneed Gabe in the crotch and immediately followed that with a punch to his now most likely broken nose. As he cried out in pain, rolling over onto his side, Rose stood up on her bare feet and wiped a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth. She didn't have long to recover before Gabe was barreling at her again, this time more pissed off than ever.

But the impact of his charge never came because in a flash Rose watched as Godric snatched Gabe up into the air by his collar. She let out a relieved sigh and let her guard down. Remembering the blond telepath, she looked over and saw a petrified Sookie Stackhouse staring up at Godric in awe.

"Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, Godric! I hope you all enjoyed this very overdue chapter and I'm excited to get into more interactions between Godric and Rose.**

 **I prefaced this chapter with a little flashback involving the two of them in hopes of explaining their relationship a bit more-and providing insight into Eric and Rose's relationship as well. Though the two have been very physical, I should emphasize that there will be NO Godric/OC/Eric love triangle. Without spoiling too much, Godric's storyline will remain fairly canon with a few minor changes.**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story. I love hearing what you all have to say about each and every chapter so feel free to leave feedback!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Godric!" Gabe gasped out as the 2000-year-old vampire held him up in the air by only the collar of his shirt, effectively cutting off most of his air supply. "It's me!"

The wording made Rose pause and send Godric a very confused look, but barely had the chance to open her mouth before Godric had snapped the man's neck and let his body fall to the ground with a resounding thump. In a flash, Rose rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Godric, squeezing him tightly. The feeling of his arms slowly winding around her waist was all too familiar, providing a deep sense of comfort and safety after so long being locked in this hellhole.

When she finally let go of him and took a step back, Godric leveled a still gaping Sookie with an almost chiding look. "You should not have come," he told her in that authoritative tone of his.

Rose rolled her eyes at his dramatics and knocked her shoulder against his. "Don't start," she warned, but was interrupted by the sound of screams coming from upstairs.

"Bill!" Sookie whispered, sounding both elated and terrified.

Unfortunately, Rose knew there was only one vampire who would tear the world apart for Godric. "No, it's not him," she muttered.

Godric's eyes fell shut for a moment as he reverently whispered, "Come to me, my child. I am here."

Eric appeared in the room in less than a second, coming to kneel before Godric where he stood. "Godric," Eric replied, sounding like a zealot before his God. He looked up at his maker with the most open, adoring expression that Rose had ever seen on his face.

"You were a fool to send humans after me," Godric scolded softly while Eric kept his head bowed.

"I had no other choice," Eric murmured, equally soft-spoken. "These savages they…they seek to destroy you!"

Rose watched the two interact and was struck by the knowledge that she had never seen them together other than that night in 1945—even then, it had been brief. The way Eric looked up to Godric and the deep devotion that Godric felt for him was like no bond she had ever seen. Even for maker and progenies, it seemed to be very rare to find such allegiance.

"I'm aware of what they've planned," Godric brushed off with a passing glance to an unconscious Hugo. "This one betrayed you."

"He's with the Fellowship," Sookie piped up from her place in the corner, arms wrapped around herself. "They set a trap for us."

"Godric," Rose pled softly, placing a gentle hand on his pale face. He looked so…sickly compared to when she saw him last. "When was the last time you ate?"

Godric placed his hand over hers and gently removed it from his face before reaching out to Rose, brushing a droplet of blood from the corner of her mouth and wiping it away disinterestedly. "I require very little blood anymore."

Before she could protest, alarms went off overhead, bright lights flashing over their heads and a siren ringing in their ears. Rose turned to Sookie and gently pulled her by the arm.

"We need to get you the hell out of here," she informed her companion.

"Save the human," Godric ordered Eric before looking to the two women. "Go with him."

Eric didn't seem too pleased with his orders, sighing and protesting, "I'm not leaving until you are—"

"I can take care of myself," Godric snapped. "Go! And spill no blood on your way out!"

As Eric rose to his feet, Rose impulsively leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of Godric's mouth. "Don't make me pull your ass out of here myself," she joked in an attempt to lighten his mood. The corner of Godric's mouth turned up in an almost smile which only made her grin as she turned to leave with Eric and Sookie.

As they rushed upstairs, Rose could feel Eric's narrow-eyed gaze watching her every move. They came out of the stairwell and into a foyer, hiding behind a wall as they watched members of the church evacuate from their scheduled lock in. Most of those leaving were innocent—men, women, and children who hadn't had a hand in any of this violence.

"I could have you out of here in a second," Eric murmured as his eyes tracked each civilian's retreat.

"Not if it means murdering the entire congregation," Rose replied.

Eric didn't look at either of the women as he said, "All of those humans wouldn't hesitate to harm us."

"That doesn't justify mass murder," Rose snapped.

Sookie quickly changed the subject. "Why didn't you bring Bill with you?" She demanded. _Is that all this girl thinks about_? Rose wondered. _All Bill all the time?_

"His attachment to you is irrational," Eric said in a blank voice, sounding like he was reciting facts from a textbook. "It clouds his judgment. He would kill every single child in this church to save you."

"Why aren't you?" Sookie asked.

Eric turned to face the telepath long enough to give her a stern look. "I'm following Godric's orders and getting you out, that's all."

"He's your maker, isn't he?" Sookie continued on. Rose watched as Eric's face was kept perfectly blank but his eyes were menacing.

"Don't use words you don't understand," he warned Sookie.

Sookie paused for a moment, as though debating her next words, before finally blurting out, "You have a lot of love for him."

Eric turned and kept his eyes locked on Rose's as he replied, "Don't use words I don't understand."

Rose couldn't help but flinch at the icy look he sent her way as he went back to watching the people. _You have made your feelings crystal clear, Mr. Northman_ , Rose thought to herself, more hurt than ever. She understood that holding onto even the tiniest hope of reconnecting with the blond vampire was nothing short of delusional. Eric Northman wanted nothing to do with her.

They watched as the "guards" at the Fellowship locked up the front entrance and Rose cursed under her breath. Suddenly, Eric.

"Eric, you fucking idiot!" Rose hissed under her breath, reaching out to grab him by the wrist.

He whipped around and cornered Rose up against a wall, leaning in so that their faces were only a hair's width apart. She thought for a brief moment that he was going to kiss her, but instead he brought his mouth next to her ear and breathed into it, "Trust me."

Then he went over to the men guarding the door, taking on the persona of a fellow guard. "Hey, y'all! How's it going?" He didn't wait for them to respond, instead barreling on. "Steve sent me over here to man the exit. Think I can handle it from here."

"By yourself?" Rose heard one man question. "You're big and all, but there's a vampire on the loose."

"Ooh," Eric intoned, sounding awed by that revelation. Rose tried not to laugh at his impression of a gullible Fellowship member.

One of the men looked Eric up and down with narrowed eyes. "Where's your stake?"

"Oh!" Eric chuckled as he patted himself up and down, searching for a stake that was never there, and then shrugging when he came up short. "I must've forgotten mine."

The men gave him a suspicious look, not completely buying the "aw shucks" act anymore. "Maybe," Eric offered, looking to one of the quieter men. "I could borrow yours."

He shook his head, leaning away from Eric slightly. "No way, man. Get your own."

Taking a step closer to the smaller man, Eric said in a smooth, persuasive voice, "I'd very much like to borrow your stake."

Obviously glamoured within an inch of his life, the man began handing over his stake, replying, "Yeah…I guess that's alright…"

As he handed it off to Eric, one of his companions raised up his to stake the vampire from behind.

"STAKE!" Sookie screamed at the top of her lungs.

Rose ran over as Eric batted them off, punching the glamoured guard in the nose and kicking him to the ground. As the third man ran over, stake held high, Eric quickly overpowered him and pressed him up against a wall, the stake now at his throat.

"Eric!" Rose snapped. "Leave him. Godric said no bloodshed."

The vampire casted over an annoyed look. "I know what Godric said," he replied, aggressively tossing the human to the ground. He went over to the exit and peeked his head out, sighing when he saw a crowd of armed Fellowship members.

"You'll never make it past all those wooden arrows," the human on the ground informed them, smirking. Rose—blood pumping and well past pissed off at this point—delivered a swift kick to his ribs.

"Eric," Sookie called out, pointing towards the sanctuary. "There's an exit this way."

The trio burst through a seemingly empty sanctuary. There were remnants of the lock in—piles of sleeping bags and pillows strewn throughout the pews and aisles.

"Where's the exit?" Eric asked Sookie, looking around the room frantically.

"This way!" She said, pointing towards the back of the room.

No sooner had the words left her mouth when the nasally voice of Steve Newlin called out, "There are many exits here." He strolled from his hiding place at the front of the room and grinned near maniacally at them. "For you, the easiest one takes you straight to hell."

The doors they'd just came through were flung open as a mob of Fellowship members came rushing through. They crowded around the three of them, glaring at them as they wielded wooden stakes and silver chains. Some of the members were more menacing than others, but Rose was sickened by their display of pure madness.

"Let us leave!" Sookie begged before facing the crowd of zealots surrounding her. "Save yourselves. No one has to die."

"The war has begun, you evil whore of Satan," Steve called back from his place on the platform. He was dressed in a freshly pressed white suit, weapon free and watching as his congregation did his dirty work. "You vampires cast the first stone by killing my family. The lines have been drawn. You're either with us, or against us. We are prepared for Armageddon."

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's tough talk for a man wearing a pastel colored tie," she replied before looking to the people around her. "What kind of leader sends you all to do his dirty work while he keeps a safe distance in his perfectly tailored suit? I wouldn't be so quick to die for a man who would sell you out in a heartbeat."

A few of the members glanced around, unsure for a brief moment, but none of them moved an inch. It made Rose clench her fists in rage—the brainwashing at this church was certainly taking effect.

"As opposed to listening to two fangbangers and a walking corpse?" Steve said.

Sookie attempted to talk a big game, telling him, "The sheriff you captured has already escaped and he'll no doubt bring help with him."

"I couldn't care less about Godric," Steve retorted, snorting at Sookie's attempt at smack talk. "Any vampire will do for our celebration and we've got one right here."

He gestured towards Eric, who was standing between the two women. Rose looked up at the vampire, eyes wide. He looked back at her, his expression carefully blank and ice cold. She instinctively reached a hand out and touched his arm, worry shooting through her like wildfire.

"Don't worry," he murmured under his breath, loud enough for just Rose to hear. "I'll be fine." He strolled confidently to the altar, looking as though he were taking a walk through the park rather than a march to his own execution.

Steve Newlin let out a crazed laugh. "Brothers and sisters, there will be a holy bonfire at dawn."

As soon as Eric had come to the front, a group of Fellowship members pushed him down onto the stone slab at the front of the room and laid silver chains across his arms, legs, and neck. Meanwhile, members of the mob held Rose and Sookie back. Sookie struggled against their hold, but Rose remained still, her eyes unmoving from Eric as he laid there, hissing and wincing in pain. Smoke came crackling up from his skin as the silver sank in deeper and deeper.

"You see? Just as our Lord and Savior was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, a few ounces of silver can betray a child of Satan to the world!" Steve declared happily to his followers, gesturing to the way Eric was incapacitated before him.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Sookie snapped.

Rose rolled her eyes. "A fanatic cult leader who's never actually read a single thing in the bible? Ironic, but unsurprising."

Eric opened his mouth, a few grunts coming out as he struggled to speak. "I offer myself in exchange for Godric's freedom," he promised the reverend. "And both of the girls' as well." He managed to cast a single glance towards Rose, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before he looked away once more. In that moment, he saw the fear and trepidation in her wide, doe eyes—the emotions she kept carefully masked from the rest of the world.

Steve nodded in what might be considered an understanding manner. "That's very noble of you, but they're just as culpable as you are. One is a disgrace to her entire race—the human race. The other is an abomination of sorts, from what Hugo has told me." He paused and then grinned down at Eric. "Maybe we'll tie the three of you up so you can all meet the sun together!"

Rose lashed out in rage, elbowing the men who were holding onto her and landing a few good hits before she was restrained even more tightly. "I will gut you where you stand, Newlin," she hissed.

He strolled over to her and Sookie, still grinning widely. "Tough talk for such a little thing."

Rose narrowed her eyes for a moment before spitting in Steve's face. "You haven't even seen what I'm capable of," she threatened, eyes ablaze with rage. "Go ask your little troll, Gabe. He's become very acquainted with me and what I can do."

If her words frightened the reverend, he didn't let on. He merely wiped his face of Rose's phlegm and turned to Sookie. "I sure hope this marshmallow will toast up nicely."

Suddenly, the sanctuary doors crashed open and an irate Bill Compton came rushing through. Sookie smiled at him, looking relieved, but Rose only thought of Eric's observation that Mr. Compton would commit mass murder if it meant saving his love.

"Sookie!" Bill yelled, rushing towards her.

Steve pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at Sookie's head. "Take another step and the girl dies, vampire!"

"Hurt her and everyone in this church dies," Bill replied venomously, fangs bared.

The reverend sent Sookie an annoyed look. "Honestly, what do they see in you?" He wondered, more to himself than anyone else. He nodded towards the men closer to Bill. "Soldiers, some chains for our friend here."

"Don't!" Sookie cried out. "He's done nothing to you!"

A male voice screamed from up in the boxes above them, "Newlin!"

Everyone turned to see a blond man holding a gun and he quickly shot the reverend's hand that was holding the gun. The man cried out in pain, dropping the weapon. Rose saw that it was actually a paintball that he'd been hit with rather than a bullet and rolled her eyes.

"Let her go, fuckwad!" The man screamed before shooting the reverend in the forehead with a green paintball. As the reverend cried out, Bill rushed over to Sookie and freed her of her captors, knocking them all to the ground. Rose, taking advantage of this surprise attack, pulled free of the men's grips on her and ran towards where Eric was still laying.

Rose reached down and gently pulled the chains from off of his skin, wincing at the way they clung to him and left behind red, bleeding wounds. Eric was up in an instant, rushing over to Steve Newlin and throwing him down on the ground.

"Don't kill him!" Rose yelled at Eric, who was baring his fangs at the reverend he held in his hands.

"Kill him!" The man—now restrained by Fellowship members—hollered. "Kill the motherfucker!"

While Rose was tempted to agree, she knew that Godric was right. No blood should be shed over this. It would not help the cold-blooded killers image that had been given to all vampires.

Steve Newlin still had that damn grin plastered all over his face. "Go ahead. Murder us," he taunted Eric. "Murder us before God. We are willing to die."

His mob seemed to be floored by his words, unable to fathom that their own leader was ready to sign all their death sentences at a moment's notice. Before Eric could make a choice, the doors opened once again and Stan came strolling in with an entourage of vampires filing in behind him.

"Steve Newlin!" Stan called out as he waltzed into the sanctuary. Vampires began lining the edge of the entire room and the Fellowship members could only watch with wide eyes as a gang of enraged vampires stared back at them. "You have pushed us too far. You expect us to sit on our thumbs while you round up your men to come lynch us? We'll kill you first." He paused and then a smirk came over his face as he added, "The same way we did your father."

"Oh fucking hell," Rose muttered, rubbing a hand over her face.

Steve fought back against Eric's grip on his throat as he screamed, "Murderer!"

"Destroy them," Stan ordered. "All of them."

He and his militia rushed forward, each grabbing hold of various Fellowship members. As chaos erupted in front of the altar, Sookie cried out, "Stop them!"  
"Get her out of here," Rose told Bill, knowing that now was not the time for Sookie to play the martyr and get herself killed.

Before any vampire or Fellowship member was hurt, Godric shouted, "Enough!" His voice rang through the room from where he stood, perched on the railing of the balcony in front of a large organ. All movement came to a sharp halt at the sound of his cry. Rose let out a sigh, all the tension leaving her body as she kept her eyes on him.

"You came for me, I assume," Godric said, directing it towards Stan. When he made no move to respond or let go of the human he was posed to take a bite out of, he added, "Underling." A subtle reminder of Stan's placement within the nest.

"These people have not harmed me," Godric informed the room. "You see? We can coexist. Mr. Newlin, I do not wish to create bloodshed where none is called for. Help me set an example. If we leave you in peace, will you do the same?"

Eric had finally released Steve Newlin of his hold and the reverend pushed up from where he had been lying on the steps of the altar. Glaring at the creatures around him, he spat out, "I will not negotiate with subhumans!" He loosened his tie and pulled open his collar. "Kill me," he ordered Eric, who merely raised an eyebrow in reply.

"No!" One terrified woman cried out.

"Jesus will protect me," Steve quipped, sounding confident.

Godric pressed his lips together tightly. "I'm actually older than your Jesus," he pointed out, causing everyone—including Steve Newlin—to cast him with an incredulous stare. Rose smirked, finding his subtle dig at the congregation rather amusing. "I wish I could have met him, but sadly I missed it."

In a flash, he moved from standing on the railing of the balcony to right behind Steve at the altar. He easily pulled the reverend up from his kneeling position by his collar and held him up for his whole congregation to see. "Who is willing to die for this man's madness?" Godric questioned, surveying the room. When no one spoke up, only exchanging glances with those around them, Godric added, "That's what I thought. Stand down, everyone. People, go home. It's over now."

The members of the Fellowship quickly began filing out of the sanctuary, eyes downcast as they pushed past the vampires around them. Steve called out to them, begging them not to leave him, but none of them paused for even a moment. They'd had enough of Steve Newlin and his hateful preachings for at least one night.

Godric released him, dropping him onto his hands and knees at the foot of the altar. Rose rushed over to the older vampire and placed a hand on his upper arm.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

The corner of his mouth lifted up in a small smile. "I am fine, Rose," he promised. "Come, we must go." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began leading her out of the sanctuary.

"Are you alright?" She heard Eric ask Sookie and looked back to find him staring down at the human with genuine concern. The sight made her feel a pang of envy—she missed that warm side she knew Eric had—but she forced herself to focus on other things, burrowing into Godric's hold a bit more as they exited the church. If she'd kept looking back, she would've seen the way Eric's gaze had darkened at the sight of her wrapped up in his maker.

* * *

Rose only left Godric's side to get changed for the party his nest was having in honor of his safe return. She showered off the grime of the church basement and used a bit of makeup to conceal the bruise forming on the side of her face where Gabe had struck her particularly hard. Her hair was tied off in a loose braid and her outfit consisted of a form fitting, maroon colored dress with cap sleeves and a slightly deeper V, showing off a bit of cleavage. Her shoes were some strappy, platform sandals that she'd had for years.

When she came down, the party was in full swing and members of the nest as well as their companions were lining up to pay their respects to Godric and all he'd done for them. She decided to come see him once the line had died down and began drifting through the party, watching everyone interact. She noticed Sookie and Bill having a heated discussion and decided it would be better to avoid the couple for now.

"Hey! Are you Rose?" A man asked her suddenly.

She watched him for a moment before she finally recognized him as the guy with the paintgun. "Yes, that's me. And you're the man of the hour, am I right?" She teased as they shook hands.

He shuffled and shrugged, grinning a bit bashfully. "Not really. I'm Jason Stackhouse, Sookie's older brother."

"Oh! Yeah, I can totally see the resemblance now that you mention it," she said, nodding her head a bit too vigorously. It was something she often did when she got nervous.

Jason smiled. "I just wanted to thank you for looking out for Sookie down in that church. She said you were like a guardian angel down there."

"Guardian angel is a bit of an embellishment," Rose replied, taking a quick sip from her glass of red wine. She saw the way Jason eyed her cup, as though he were worried to ask about its contents. "I'm not a vampire, in case you were unsure. This is some red wine I swiped from Godric's stash."

The man nodded. "Right, sorry. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of my baby sister."

Rose returned his smile with a rare, warm one of her own. "Of course. It's the least I could do," she told him, reaching out and patting him on the back. She glanced over and saw the line to see Godric was significantly shorter now and laid down her glass. "Excuse me, Jason. It was great to meet you!"

"You too!"

She strolled over and got in line behind one of the nest vampires. She examined her blood red nails as she waited, trying to ignore the gushing praise of the man currently speaking to Godric. _Blah, blah, blah, get on with it_ , she thought to herself.

"Hello, Rose," an infamous Viking greeted from behind her.

Rose turned and let out a tired sigh. "What is it, Eric? Have you come to threaten me again or act on the last one?"

"Oh, you paranoid little woman," Eric quipped, crossing his arms over his perfectly defined chest.

When he didn't speak again, Rose turned back around and waited once again. Of course, this only prompted him to taunt her even further.

"Already embedding your claws into your next victim?" Eric asked offhandedly.

"What are you talking about?"

Eric smirked down at her. "You're continuing your slew of men, am I right? First me, then Godric, and now little Jason Stackhouse. I will admit, your standards have certainly slipped over the last few years."

Rose growled and grabbed a fistful of Eric's slicked back, blond hair, yanking him so they were now at eye level. "Next time you want to accuse me of whoring myself around, save us both a lot of time and effort and just say it. Slut. Skank. Whore. That way I don't have to wait before knocking your teeth in."

She gave his hair one last tug, pulling extra hard, before releasing him and moving up to finally get her chance to speak with Godric. As soon as she walked over, Godric's disposition brightened immediately. He sat up a bit more, his expression far less blank and vacant than it was before.

"I love your new throne," Rose teased as she came to stand in front of him. "It's very minimalist and chic—it practically screams haute couture."

Godric smiled. "Oh how I have missed you over the last few decades."

She came over and sat down on the 2000 year old vampire's lap, ignoring the scandalized looks she was getting from both the nest vampires near them as well as Eric. "It's hard to believe such flattery when I haven't heard from you in nearly a year. Not even a little, obnoxious Christmas card, Godric," she pouted, but let the act drop when his expression became grave.

"I've…had a lot on my mind, as of late," he told her, eyes taking on that far away look again. "I have not been good company to keep for some time."

"Don't say that," she admonished, reaching to turn his face towards hers. "You are a good man, Godric. Don't ever doubt that."

He began to reply when Isabel came storming in, a battered Hugo in tow. Rose quickly got up from her place on Godric's lap, instead choosing to stand just behind him and to the left.

"This is the one who betrayed us," Isabel said, her voice quivering from repressed tears.

Godric eyed the two for a moment. "He's your human, is he not?"

Isabel nodded, looking positively ashamed. "Yes, he is."

"And do you love him?"

She hesitated, unable to stop the bloody tears from rolling down her cheeks as she rasped out, "I…I thought I did." Even Hugo seemed moved to tears, the power of his betrayal weighing heavily on both of them.

"It seems you love him still," Godric pointed out, not unkindly.

His words only brought on more tears for Isabel. "I do. I'm sorry, but you are my sheriff. Do with him what you will."

Godric paused for a moment, looking between the human kneeling at his feet and the tear-stained vampire behind him. Finally, he said, "You are free to go."

"What?" Stan roared, outraged. Rose sent him a warning look, daring him to question Godric's authority.

"The human is free to go," he repeated so that everyone may hear. "And do not return. It is not safe for you here."

"This is a travesty," Stan complained.

Godric didn't even look at his loud-mouthed underling as he replied, "This is my verdict. Eric, escort them out. Make sure he is unharmed."

His progeny nodded. "Yes, Godric."

As the vampire pulled Hugo up from the ground and drug him towards the nearest exit, Isabel muttered through her tears, "Thank you. Thank you, sheriff."

She quickly followed Eric out of the room, still murmuring praises under her breath as she did. Rose felt a pang of pity for the vampire and the emotional conflicts she was no doubt dealing with.

She turned to Godric and reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "This only proves that you are a good man, Godric. No other sheriff would have been as merciful."

"But does one act of kindness negate a life time of heinous deeds?" Godric replied, exhaustion clear in the weary tone of his voice. He placed his hand on top of Rose's and squeezed gently.

She wanted to argue, to point out the way he had helped her for no reason at all. To remind Godric of all the wonderful things he had done for so many of the people in this room, but she knew that he would only block out her words or rebuff her coldly. So instead she leaned down and wrapped her arms around him in a soft embrace.

When she pulled back, Eric was watching them with what could only be described as a sickened expression. "If you're done hanging all over my maker, I wish to speak with him. Alone."

Raising an eyebrow at his hostile tone, Rose defiantly moved closer to Godric and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, all the while keeping her eyes locked on Eric's. She dared him to make another remark as she slowly pulled away from Godric and said, "I'll go check up on our resident telepath."

She strolled away from the maker and progeny, keeping her head held high as she sought out a familiar blond. Sookie was standing alone, looking around the room dejectedly as she took small sips from the drink in her hand.

"Where's Bill?" Rose asked as she came closer, coming to stop in front of Sookie. She noticed that her former cellmate had also gotten the chance to clean up and change, bringing back that glowing aura she'd given off from when they first met.

"Oh, he and Jason went outside to talk some stuff out," Sookie replied dismissively, gesturing towards the patio doors. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you, for everything you did."

Rose held up a hand, silencing her grateful statements. "It was nothing. After all, you were the one who volunteered to help a vampire who you'd never met. No one would do that."

"Well, like I mentioned before, Eric is providing me with some financial compensation," Sookie pointed out, though her expression darkened at the mention of the blond Viking.

"Still," Rose insisted. "Not many humans would risk that kind of danger—money or no money. It was very brave of you."

Sookie smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "All in a day's work," she joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Her gaze drifted over to where Godric and Eric were speaking in hushed tones, both of them glancing over at Rose as they did so. "You're a good friend of Godric's, then? It seemed that way in the church."

"Godric is one of the few people in this world that I completely trust," Rose said. "He helped me when I needed it the most and I will be forever grateful for that."

Sookie nodded as though she understood. "He's very different from any of the vampires I've met—though I will admit I haven't gone to the most savory of places to meet them."

"You mean Eric's club?" Rose asked, glancing over at the man. The two met eyes for a brief moment before he took on a hostile expression and looked away.

"How did you know about it?" Sookie inquired. "I thought the two of you weren't on speaking terms."

"Just because I'm not speaking to him, Sookie, doesn't mean I don't keep an eye on him," Rose returned vaguely.

Sookie opened her mouth—no doubt to interject yet another question—when a dark haired, female vampire practically slithered in front of them. She was wearing a slinky, skin-tight dress and extravagant jewelry. Her lips were painted red and her narrow set eyes were lined with black.

"Hello, there. I'm Lorena," the woman introduced with a predatory grin.

Sookie kept up a polite front, pasting on a winning smile and replying, "Nice to meet you. I'm Sookie."

Lorena nodded as though something in her mind had just clicked. "Ah, so you're what all the fuss has been about."

Taken aback, Sookie blinked at her a few times before she managed to dredge up a retort. "Excuse me?"

"Aren't you just a little morsel," Lorena continued, pretending that Sookie hadn't spoken a word. She stepped a bit closer, leaning in to sniff at Sookie.

Rose easily pushed between them and gave Lorena a warning look. "It's impolite to sniff a stranger, Lorena. Hasn't your mother taught you the most basic of manners?"

"Don't get your feathers all ruffled," Lorena drawled, moving away a few steps. "Sookie and I have a mutual friend."

"Bill?"

Lorena's grin became borderline demented. "Yes. Funny he never mentioned me. I practically made him into the man he is today."

As though sensing this conversation was taking a turn for the worst, the vampire in question appeared, placing a protective arm around Sookie. He glared Lorena down, as though hoping the hatred within his gaze would be enough to set the red woman ablaze.

"Lorena," he growled.

"Oh, hello, darling. I was just getting to know your plaything. You always did like to prey on the innocent," she murmured, reaching out to trace a perfectly manicured nail over his chest. He brushed her aside easily.

Rose, concerned that this conversation might become ugly very quickly, went over to where Godric and Eric still were. She tried to appear aloof and unconcerned as she sashayed over. Eric looked annoyed at her reappearance, but otherwise kept his mouth shut.

She leaned down and whispered in Godric's ear, "Are you aware of the confrontation involving Bill Compton's human and his maker?"

Godric gave a slight jerk of a nod, turning his gaze over to where the trio were still talking. Lorena still appeared to be toying with the couple, all smiles and cooed taunts.

"You may want to intervene soon," Rose informed him. "Lorena is positively unhinged."

As though she'd heard her words, Lorena and Sookie began to yell and suddenly the female vampire lashed out, grabbing Sookie by the throat and flinging her down. Her fangs were bared, ready to plunge into the human woman's neck, when Godric suddenly appeared. He pulled Lorena off of Sookie with an almost practiced ease and held her in the air, choking her with his vice-like grip on her throat.

Eric and Rose both went over to where Godric was standing, watching as he publicly berated Lorena for her foolish actions.

"You've had hundreds of years to better yourself and yet you haven't. you are still a savage, and I fear for all of us, humans and vampires, if this behavior persists," Godric continued on. He looked over to Bill and said, "You. You seem to know her."

"Yes, sheriff," Bill answered, though he sounded ashamed to admit as much.

"Escort her out of the nest," Godric ordered just before he dropped Lorena to the ground. Bill quickly grabbed Lorena by the arm and dragged her towards the door.

Rose went over to where Sookie was standing, obviously still in shock as she hadn't moved a muscle since Lorena was pulled off of her. "Are you alright, Sookie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little spooked."

"It's alright," Rose promised her. "Bill would never let anything bad happen to you, even if Godric hadn't intervened."

Sookie nodded, offering a half smile. "I know."

Rose gave her shoulder one last comforting squeeze and then went up to Godric. She was about to thank him for stepping in, even though it may not have been totally necessary, when a human suddenly spoke up.

"Excuse me, everyone," he began, moving to stand near the center of the room. "My name is Luke McDonald. I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Sun. And I have a message for you all from Reverend Steve Newlin." Luke pulled open his jacket to reveal silver chains crossing over his body and a bomb strapped to his chest.

Rose barely had the chance to let out a horrified gasp before Luke detonated the bomb. The power of the blast knocked Rose to the ground, her head banging hard against the floor before everything faded to black.

* * *

 **A/N: There you go! We got some solid interactions between Eric, Godric, and Rose. A few people have questioned the closeness of Rose's relationship to Godric and the only explanation I have is that he is essentially her life line in this scenario. He's the only person she feels she can trust completely, as Eric has made it clear that he couldn't care less about her. (Or so she thinks...)**

 **Anyway, I love hearing from you all and I can't wait to see the feedback for this chapter. Feel free to give me any theories you have about where the plot could be going or just general ideas for Rose's future in True Blood. I plan to continue this story all the way through season 7 (if the writing gods bless me with that kind of dedication and time).**

 **Hugs and kisses!**


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing that Rose noticed as she slowly regained consciousness was that her entire body felt like it was on fire. Little by little, she opened her eyes and was floored by the scene before her. Godric's once pristine home was in ruins, decimated by the bomb. Everything was charred, some pieces still burning, and there was blood all over the floor and walls. As she craned her neck around, she saw bodies lying all around her. Some were pushing themselves up, powering through their injuries, while others were totally immobile.

She looked down at her own body and winced at the sight. Her once pristine dress was tattered and torn, large patches of blood littered across it. There were little pieces of silver and metal embedded into her skin and there was a rather large burn spanning over the top of her left arm. Rose attempted to shift around, testing her limits, and was brought to tears by the pain. She cried out, falling back onto the ground.

"Rose?"

Looking over to her right, she saw Eric and Sookie lying next to her. It became obvious that in the midst of the blast, Eric had flung himself on top of Sookie to protect her from the blast. Despite some very wide, terrified eyes and a bit of blood, Sookie looked completely unharmed.

Eric, on the other hand, looked about as well off as Rose. Once again, she was struck down by the deep envy at seeing the two together. Seeing Eric like this with another woman was something she'd never expected to experience. While she had only ever wanted a world of happiness for him, seeing him find it with someone else was heartbreaking.

Letting out a shaky sigh, she softly called out, "Godric?"

The vampire was there in a fraction of a second, kneeling down beside her to assess her injuries. "You've been hurt very badly," Godric observed, making Rose chuckle.

"Tell me something I don't know," she rasped out before she was overcome with a violent coughing fit. As she coughed, droplets of blood came flying from her mouth, making her eyes widen.

Godric noticed her panic and quickly bit into his wrist, offering his blood to her as a form of healing. She drank from his wrist, albeit hesitantly as this was a very intimate act, even for the two of them. Once the healing seemed to have taken effect, he pulled his arm from her lips and gently wiped his blood off of her face.

"Stay here, rest. You should be healed very soon," he assured her. "I must check on the rest of the nest."

She nodded and did exactly as he said, staying put. Slowly, the pain began to recede and she could feel her body starting to heal itself.

"Sookie? Sookie?" Came the frantic voice of Bill Compton as he went racing through the ruins of Godric's home, looking over every body for Sookie.

"Bill!" Sookie called out from her place underneath Eric.

Eric slowly rolled his head back to look up at Bill. "I shielded her from the blast. She's only stunned." He licked his lips slowly and added, "Get the humans."

Bill, satisfied that Sookie appeared to be fine, ran away, off to find the humans responsible for such a horrendous attack. Rose watched him go and then looked back at where Eric and Sookie still were.

"Sookie?" She said softly, watching the wide eyes of the telepath find hers. "You're alright. Everything's going to be fine, okay? You are safe now."

Sookie began to tear up, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay." Now a bit more calm, she grunted under Eric's weight and pushed him off of her. She muttered something about Eric being extremely heavy and stood up, scanning the room. "Jason? Jason?"

Rose looked too and they both spotted her brother across the room. Though he was covered in blood and guts, he could stand and walk and signaled his well being with a simple thumbs up. Sookie let out a relieved sigh, her shoulders sagging down.

Feeling like she was a bit stronger, Rose gradually pushed herself up from her place on the floor and stood on feeble legs. She looked over to where Godric and Isabel were standing, attempting to make her way over to them. She took a few unsteady steps and felt confident to take another without the aid of a hand on the table. Unfortunately, this proved unwise as her knees buckled and she went tumbling to the ground.

Before she could hit the ground, arms caught her by the waist and dragged her back up. She expected to see Godric staring at her when she looked up, but was floored when it was actually Bill.

"Are you alright?" He asked in that deep, husky voice of his.

 _I've lost enough blood that I find even Bill Compton somewhat charming,_ she thought with a chuckle. She patted his shoulder and answered, "I'm as fresh as a daisy, Mr. Compton. I would greatly appreciate it if you would take me back to where I was as it was stupid of me to try and leave."

Nodding, Bill kept a strong hand placed firmly on her back as she took one slow step after another back to where she had been. Once again, the sight before her shocked Rose. Sookie was bent over Eric's body, her lips pressed against one of his wounds as she sucked.

"What the fuck are you doing, Sookie?" Rose blurted out, disgusted.

Sookie whipped around, Eric's blood all over her face and mouth, and sighed. "I sucked the silver out of Eric's chest and saved his life, even though I really didn't want to."

Rose moved her accusing stare onto Eric, who looked all too happy with himself. "She was superb," Eric drawled with a wide grin.

Rose felt a rush of rage and jealousy. Not only had Eric shared his blood with another vampire's human, he had tricked her into doing so. Rose couldn't help but think of their time together, back during a time when he had shared his blood with Rose. Had all that meant nothing? Even during the time when they were together, had it all been meaningless? Just the thought made Rose's eyes burn with unshed tears.

When Sookie looked up at them with those wide, confused eyes, Rose couldn't help but sigh. She was like a damn child, fearing some kind of punishment. "Eric wasn't in any kind of danger," Rose informed her, glaring one last time at Eric. "Though he might be now."

"He…what?"

"A tiny falsehood," Eric joked, still looking pleased. He placed his arms behind his head, looking like he was ready to lounge by the pool rather than having just battled with death.

Bill tried to keep his tone even, more for Sookie's sake than anything else. "The bullets would've eventually pushed themselves out. By making you suck them out, he's forced you to drink his blood."

Sookie's eyes were about the size of her head now as she frantically shook her head back and forth. "No, no, no," she muttered as she pushed up onto her feet.

"Now he'll be able to sense your emotions," Bill added, looking particularly disgusted.

Sookie reared around and screamed at Eric, "You lying A-hole!" She then nose dived into Bill's arms, looking extremely distraught over the whole thing.

"Bill, I believe you're right! I can sense her emotions," Eric taunted from his position on the ground. "Sweet."

"I'll never do anything for you again," Sookie told him spitefully, throwing in a "Monster!" for good measure. She enveloped herself in Bill's embrace while Rose continued to glare at her former lover. _Fuckwad_ , she thought maliciously, wanting nothing more than to kick his teeth in.

Bill tried to soothe his companion, whispering, "It's not your fault."

Eric was eating the whole situation up and teased, "I think I'm going to cry!"

Finally fed up with his shit, Rose gave into her rage and delivered a swift but forceful kick to Eric's side. It managed to land right where some silver was making its way out still, so Eric let out a loud shout of pain when her foot made contact with him.

"In case I haven't reminded you in the last five minutes, you're a fucking idiot, Eric Northman," Rose hissed at him while he gripped the spot where she'd kicked him. Sookie and Bill both gave her a silent look that communicated their thanks in shutting him up.

"Everyone, please!" Isabel announced across the room, only for everyone to continue their conversations, completely ignoring her.

Jason let out a loud whistle and hollered, "Hey, y'all, listen up!" The room went dead silent as all eyes turned to their leader, their sheriff, for guidance.

"They might come back," Godric warned the crowd of survivors. "Go to the Hotel Carmilla. They've been alerted and security is in place."

Slowly, the people began shuffling towards the exit. Some were perfectly capable while others needed to essentially be carried out of the room. Rose was feeling a bit stronger—Godric's blood seemed to have finally caught up with her—so she stayed behind to make sure everyone made it out alright. In the end, it left behind only Godric, Eric, and herself.

She walked over to Godric and hugged him tightly for a brief moment before releasing him. "What was that for?" He asked her.

Rose shrugged. "I just needed a little comfort right now." She turned to look back at Eric, who was now standing and still looking a bit smug. Rose had a feeling that was just his everyday happy face. "Plus, if I don't get away from your asshat of a progeny, I might scream."

Godric chuckled, but walked out with her nonetheless. Eric watched the two go, feeling a bit of a visit from the green monster himself. He brushed it off and fell into step behind them, assuming the jealousy was left over rage at Rose.

* * *

"Do you have any fucking idea what kind of a mess you all have made? And who has to fucking clean all this shit up? Me. Not you, me," Nan Flanagan ranted the next night. They were in Godric's hotel room at the Carmilla, as Nan had demanded that everyone involved in the shit show at the Fellowship be present. "I should drain every one of you bastards."

Eric tried to play the politician and reason with Nan. "Stan went to the church on his own. None of us knew anything about it." He made eye contact with everyone in the room, as though warning them to question his story.

"Oh, really. Because everyone who met Stan in the last 300 years knew he had a kink about slaughtering humans. But you, his nest mates, his sheriff, had no clue," Nan scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rose cut in from her place beside Godric. "How were any of us supposed to know that this time he meant it? Everyone who knows Stan also knows that he's all talk and no walk."

"Not my problem," Nan snapped before directing a pointed look at Godric. "Yours."

"Don't talk to him like that," Eric snapped, eyes narrowed.

Nan seemed almost amused by his outburst. "Don't talk to me like that. Let's get to the point. How did they abduct you?"

"They would've taken one of us sooner or later," Godric insisted. "I volunteered myself."

Rose glanced over at Godric, worried. "Why would you do that?"

"Why not?"

"They wanted you to meet the sun and you were willing?" Nan asked, disbelieving. Everyone in the room began exchanging surprised looks, unsure what to make of this development. Of all the scenarios they'd come up with, none of them involved Godric going to them willingly.

Godric shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I think you're out of your damn mind," Nan muttered. "And what's this about a traitor?"

Isabel began to shift nervously in her seat, eyes shifting around the room, but Godric covered for her easily. "Only a rumor. I'll take full responsibility."

"You bet you will," Nan snapped back.

Eric let out a hissing sigh. "You cold bitch," he snarled, looking ready to pounce.

"Listen," the politician snapped, sending Eric a cutting glance. "This is a national vampire disaster and nobody at the top has sympathy for you." She paused before facing Godric again. "Sheriff, you fucked up. You're fired."

Godric nodded without a moment of hesitation. "I agree," he told Nan. "Of course, Isabel should take over. She had no part in any of this."  
Rose grabbed Godric's hand. "You don't have to do this, Godric. Don't back down so easily."

"What are you saying?" Eric roared at his maker. "She's a bureaucrat, you don't have to take shit from her!"

Nan sent him a warning look. "You want to lose your area, Viking?" She challenged, but Eric only smirked back at her.

"You don't have that kind of power."

"Hey, I'm on TV," she replied as she leaned back in her chair with an elegant ease. "Try me."

Isabel tried to intervene on behalf of Godric. "I'm to blame," she insisted. "I should have contained Stan the second Godric went missing."

"Isabel," her now former sheriff warned. "I remove myself from all positions of authority," he promised Nan.

"Works for me."

It appeared as though their meeting was finished—Nana had gotten to fire Godric like she intended—but Sookie felt the need to speak up on behalf of the 2000-year-old vampire.

"Ms. Flanagan, Godric saved me and Rose from some really bad people down there in the basement of the church," Sookie began.

"That's nice," Nan said dismissively, going to stand up and leave.

"No, listen!" Sookie begged, reaching out as though to stop the vampire then thinking better of it and leaning back in her seat.

"Moving on," Nan continued.

Rose understood where Sookie was trying to take this and added, "He rescued all the humans in that church in addition to the vampires there."

"Exactly!" Sookie exclaimed. "If you think this is a PR mess, it could have been a hundred—no, a million times worse! You should be _thanking_ him."

Nan raised a dubious brow, crossing her arms over her chest. "For getting kidnapped? For attracting a suicide bomber? For piss poor judgment? I think not."

Eric moved to his feet, ready to attack Nan for her sharp criticisms, but Rose stood, stopping him with a hand to his chest.

"Don't," she told him, the implied "It's not worth it" hanging in the air between them. Eric glanced down at her hand still resting on his chest and she quickly removed it before returning to her place beside Godric.

It was only when Godric said, "Eric, it doesn't matter," that the vampire finally sat down, though his narrow eyed gaze remained hostile and locked on Nan.

"Tell me about the bombing," Nan ordered Godric. "Every single detail."

Taking in a deep breath, Godric began, "A boy walked into the lair. I thought he was someone's companion…"

Everyone was dead silent as he retold the travesty that had just occurred. He described all the death and destruction that followed the bomb detonating and it made Rose wince. Leaving out no detail, he described people laying on the ground with limbs missing or large chunks of metal embedded into their skin. He recalled the way the air smelled of burnt flesh and smoke and the only sound that could be heard were groans of pain.

"What a fucking fiasco," Nan muttered with a sigh. "You're lucky I don't send you all to the Magister. Godric, come to my suite to sign some forms."

Rose wanted to hit her for her lack of sensitivity or integrity in the face of so much disaster. She whined about the mess it was for her, all the while ignoring the fact that people in that room had lost many humans and vampires that they cared about. _What a cold-hearted bitch_ , she thought venomously.

"Soon. First, I have something to say," Godric announced as he stood up from his seat. He looked around the room, nothing but sorrow and guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I apologize for all the harm I've caused, for all our lost ones, human and vampire. I will make amends, I swear it."

Rose's eyes widened at his words. Surely he couldn't mean what she thought he did? There was no way that Godric would contemplate suicide. And yet, this was the same man who had sacrificed himself to the Fellowship. Just the thought made her heart begin to race with fear.

Nan stood up and patted Godric on the back lightly. "Take it easy, it's just a few signatures," she assured him, totally oblivious to the way everyone was watching Godric.

She and her guards left the room, already moving on from this situation. Isabel, Sookie, and Bill began to leave the room but Rose and Eric remained behind to confront Godric.

"No," Eric insisted, looming over Godric.

Godric let out a tired sigh. "Look in my heart," he urged his progeny.

"Godric, please," Rose begged, her voice shaking as she fought back tears. "Don't do this. Listen to me."

"There's nothing to say, Rose," Godric said, not unkindly.

"But there is!" Eric snapped, at his wit's end.

Godric merely shook his head and said, "On the roof." And then he was gone, leaving them behind just as he intended to do with his life. A single tear rolled down Rose's cheek and she took in a shaking, gasping breath in an effort to keep herself steady.

She pushed past Bill and Sookie, racing after Godric towards the roof. She heard Bill begin to confront Eric—no doubt about his little stunt with his blood—but at that moment her thoughts were only consumed with Godric.

When she came out onto the roof, Godric was standing near the edge, watching the horizon with a blank expression. Rose wiped her face dry and rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged him tightly.

"Please, Godric," she cried into his chest as the tears finally broke free from her eyes, flowing down her face in a steady stream. "Don't do this. Don't leave me!"

"Rose," he murmured, causing her to pull back and finally meet his eyes. "Knowing you has been one of the best parts of my life."

His words only made her cry harder. "So why are you leaving me all alone?" She demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

"You are not alone," Godric assured her, dragging his thumb across her cheek to dry her tears. "My blood has been—and always will be—a part of you. _I_ will always be a part of you."

"What does that even mean? Drinking your blood doesn't have that kind of power," she asked, more confused than ever.

Before Godric had the chance to respond, Eric appeared before them, his expression filled with anguish. "Why?" He shouted at his maker, furious at him, at the world, at everything in existence.

"Two thousand years is enough," Godric informed him. Rose heard movement and looked to see Sookie standing at the edge of the stairs, watching the whole interaction.

"I can't accept this, it's insanity," Eric insisted.

Godric could only level him with a defeated look, stepping away from Rose so that he could move towards his progeny. "Our existence is insanity. We don't belong here," he said solemnly.

"But we are here!" Eric roared.

"It's not right. We're not right," Godric pressed, refusing to stand down.

Rose couldn't help but feel enraged at his words. "I am the abomination here, not you! Godric, you don't get to decide what is right or wrong. You are here and that is what matters."

"You taught me there is no right or wrong, only survival or death," Eric tried to reason, turning his maker's words around on him.

Godric let out an empty huff of laughter. "I told a lie, as it turns out," he replied, sounding almost apologetic.

Eric began running out of options, so he tried a different approach. "I will keep you alive by force," he threatened, looming over Godric like a dark cloud.

"Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?" Godric asked gently.

His words undid Eric, causing him to fall to his knees before his maker as bloody tears ran down his face. "Godric, don't do this!" Eric begged through his sobs in Swedish.

"There are centuries of faith and love between us," Godric replied in the same language.

"Please, please, _please_ ," Eric pled over and over in Swedish. "Godric."

Rose had begun to cry as well, her heart breaking as she watched the exchange between two men she had loved—still loved—dearly. It was like having her own heart ripped out of her chest.

"Father. Brother. Son," Godric intoned, raising Eric's head to look up at him. "Let me go."

Eric forced himself to stop crying and moved to his feet. "I won't let you die alone," he told his maker, making Rose shake her head desperately against the idea. She couldn't lose them both—not like this, not now.

"Yes, you will," Godric answered. "As your maker, I command you."

Without another word, Eric turned and began to leave as he was told. He looked back at his maker hesitantly, the concern very clear. Sookie was still watching the whole exchange from the stairs and told Eric as he passed her, "I'll stay with him."

"No," Rose cut in, wiping her face dry for what seemed like the hundredth time. Eric and Sookie looked over at her in surprise. "I'm staying with him, until the very end. You go with Eric."

Sookie nodded and followed him back into the hotel.

Rose turned and saw Godric looking out at the horizon again. She moved and wrapped her hand around his, squeezing it tightly.

"It won't take long," he promised her without looking away from the skyline. "Not at my age."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and let out a quivering sigh, a few tears falling from her eyes and onto their joined hands. "I don't know how I can go through the world without you in it," Rose told him, not intending to make him feel guilty, but seeking his advice. "You've always been this solid foundation in my life. I feel unsteady without you."

"You will live your life as you have. Vibrantly and uninhibited by what others think," Godric replied. "A bright light that this world needs."

Rose couldn't fight back the sob that broke from her throat. She pulled away from his hold and took a few steps back, hoping to clear her head long enough that she could say what she wanted to say. "I don't think I've ever told you out loud, but I love you, Godric, very much."

"And I you," he said. "We've never needed to say it before."

"You became my closest friend when I needed one the most. You were—no, you _are_ my family," she sobbed. "When I was lost and alone, scared of my own shadow, you were there for me. No one has ever supported me like that since I was human."

Godric smiled kindly. "You are just as much of my family as Eric is. We are bound to one another by a bond not unlike mine with him." He paused and added, "Will you take care of him? Eric."

Rose let out a short, sharp laugh. "I don't think that Eric wants—much less needs me to watch over him."

"He cares for you still. I have seen the way he watches you whenever you are together."

"Is that what you want me to do?" Rose asked, annoyed with all this talk of Eric. "To watch over him once you're g-gone?" She could barely choke out the word.

Godric smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, I want you both to be happy. And I think that being together—either as friends or as something else—would make you both happy."

Rose watched as the sun was beginning to lighten the sky and Godric's skin began heat up, smoke rising up from everywhere he was exposed to the slowly burgeoning light.

"Are you afraid?" She asked tearfully, sniffling.

"No. No, I am full of joy," he swore, smiling the first genuine smile she had seen on his face since she'd arrived. The idea of his death being the only joyful moment he'd had at all was agonizing.

"Godric, I don't want you to die," she whispered through her tears and sobs. Her eyes were red and swollen from all the crying she'd been doing.

"I want to burn, Rose."

The sun was about to break through the horizon. Godric walked closer to the edge of the building, farther away from Rose, and slipped off his shirt. He held his arms wide and closed his eyes, ready to face the sun.

"Goodbye, Godric," Rose said just as the sun broke through. She watched as a blue fire took over Godric's body, searing his skin. He didn't flinch, barely moved at all as he slowly burned. In a mere matter of seconds, he was turned to dust and his remains were swept away by a powerful wind. Nothing was left behind of him except for his clothes.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that was devastating.**

 **I know that some of you were hoping that I would keep Godric alive, but his death propels Rose's involvement in Bon Temps forward. So while we all adore him, Godric had to go.**

 **I just wanted to thank everyone for their follows, favorites, and reviews. As I've said in many other chapters, you keep me going! I know my updates have been very sporadic (and no doubt will continue in that manner), but I hope you've been enjoying these last couple of quick updates. I'd love to hear your thoughts on where this fic is going as well as any ideas for the future!**

 **Also, I have a bit of a survey (and a bit of a test to see who actually reads these notes). Later on, should I keep this story somewhat canon and keep in the Eric/Sookie interactions that mostly happen in season 3 and 4? Or should I completely change it in favor of turning those moments into Eric/Rose moments? I'm a bit conflicted as I do love me some angst, but I also love Rose and Eric together. Anyway, leave me your thoughts in a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Rose let out a shrill scream, finally allowing herself to feel the full extent of the pain in her heart. She fell to her knees, fist pounding the concrete under her as she sobbed and yelled, completely alone on the roof of Hotel Carmilla. Losing Godric was one of the most heartbreaking experiences of Rose's life and she was destroyed by it.

At some point, her body began operating on autopilot as she slowly moved to her feet and shuffled towards the stairs. Her face was drenched in her tears, a few still leaking from the corners. Her eyes were hollow and unfeeling—completely devoid of any emotion as they stared down at the ground. Each step felt like a great physical exertion as though they were tied down by large weights.

When she arrived back in a corridor of the hotel, Sookie was waiting for her, biting at the edge of her thumbnail as she leaned up against a wall. She spotted Rose coming over and immediately rushed to action, wrapping her arms around the disheveled woman.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," she murmured softly. Her tone made Rose think of her mother, who was always very adept at consoling her daughter whenever she was upset or hurting. The thought only made Rose break down even more, a soft sob pushing past her lips without warning as she fell into Sookie's hug.

Her shoulders shook with each body-wracking sob and Sookie waited through all of them, rubbing her back and whispering comforting phrases that had no real meaning. When she finally had a bit more control over her grief, Rose pulled away from Sookie and wiped her face dry with the back of her hand.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Rose's voice wavered on each syllable, cracking from all the screams that had been torn from her throat. "He was all I had in this world—my only friend, my only companion."

Sookie forced Rose to make eye contact with her as she spoke, gently touching her face. "Godric was a good man," she said. "And he would have wanted you to be happy, no matter what. To go home and live your life to the fullest."

"That's the thing," Rose replied with a bitter laugh, running a hand over her face, as though she were trying to wipe away all the suffering that her face could no longer hide. "I have no home. I go from place to place, bouncing around and not taking anything seriously, but I've never had a home. Not since I was human."

That made Sookie pause for a moment. The thought had never occurred to her that this woman would have no point of reference, no place to go recuperate and deal with this grief. And then an idea struck her.

"You should come stay with me," Sookie suggested, a hesitant smiling crawling its way onto her face. "In Bon Temps—at least for a little while."

Rose gave the telepath an incredulous look. "What? Sookie, that's crazy. We barely know each other."

"Look, you and I have been through some shit in the past few days," Sookie said as she squared off her shoulders and took Rose's hands in hers. "If getting kidnapped by a crazy religious group doesn't forge a friendship, I don't know what does. You said you don't have any friends other than Godric, well, now you've got one! And as your friend, I am insisting that you come to Bon Temps with me."

Rose eyed Sookie up and down for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "You're really serious about this? This isn't some kind of pity deal that you'll regret in about twenty minutes when you get back to your hotel room?"

"No, ma'am," Sookie promised. "I'm as serious as a heart attack. Now, you don't have to stay in Bon Temps for the rest of your life, but maybe long enough to get through this rough patch."

Sookie watched as Rose thought over the offer. Her eyes went off to some spot on the wall, turning glassy as she got lost in her own thoughts. Finally, she blinked hard a few times and looked at Sookie again, holding out her hand. "You just got yourself a new roomie, Sookie Stackhouse."

Rose found herself wrapped in yet another hug by Sookie, whose grin was currently wider than the Cheshire Cat's. "Great!" Sookie squealed before sobering up a little bit. "If you want to get your things together, I'm leaving tomorrow night with Bill and my brother, Jason."

She nodded. "Sounds good," Rose replied before gesturing down the hall. "Excuse me. I've…there's somewhere I need to be right now."

She didn't wait for Sookie to reply, turning quickly on her heel and heading off towards one very specific person's room. Though they may not have been on the best of terms, Rose knew there was only one person in this world that could truly empathize with her right now.

* * *

When she entered Eric's hotel room, she found him hunched over on the bed, face hidden from view in his hands. She moved towards him tentatively, taking care not to make any sort of disturbance to the eerie calm that filled the air. He didn't make any move to acknowledge her, remaining in the same position until Rose finally sat down beside him on the bed, placing a hesitant hand on his shoulder.

"It's done," Rose murmured softly. "He's…g-gone." The word wasn't any easier to say, to process now that he had actually left this world for another one. None of this felt truly real to Rose; the world had a hazy edge about it that made everything resemble a dream—or nightmare, in this case.

The sound of her voice made Eric finally look up from his hands. He was just as distraught as he had been on the roof. Bloody tears, ones that still flowed freely as he looked at her, stained Eric's face. His expression was empty, yet Rose could see the underlying grief and vulnerability that lay beneath his cold façade. She saw it and it made her own heart ache in response, as though their two souls were communicating and commiserating about the pain they'd suffered.

On instinct, Rose moved her hands up to cup his face, thumbs rubbing away some of the blood. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment, leaning into the comforting touch, before opening again to pin her with such a harrowing look that a few tears fell down her face as well. Eric then reached out to her, his own hand caressing her face in the same way she still held his. He steadily pulled Rose's face towards his own until their faces were touching, forehead to forehead, both of their eyes falling shut upon making contact.

Rose didn't know what to say to Eric in the wake of such devastation. "He loved you," she told him simply, her voice raspy and hard to catch. "He cared for you up until the very end, Eric."

Her words made Eric pause for a moment before he suddenly crushed his lips against hers.

At first, Rose was so shocked by his touch that she didn't respond, sitting completely still as Eric took over. Her body then kicked in to overdrive and she was giving as good as she got, wrapping herself in his embrace as she leaned into the frenzied kiss. It was as good as she remembered—sparks flying and all.

Falling into bed with Eric was as easy as breathing. It was a familiar comfort to her, having this intimacy with someone that she cared for all this time. Hope began to take root inside of Rose for the first time since she'd arrived in Dallas. She no longer felt alone or afraid of what the future held.

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Rose awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing shrilly from the vicinity of where her clothes had been thrown earlier. She blearily opened one eye and glanced around for where her phone was. She spotted the black dress she'd worn crumpled beside the dresser and her phone was laying on top of it, flashing brightly at her.

She looked to the side and saw Eric still asleep next to her and a small smile crept its way onto her face. Covering herself up with a blanket, Rose snuck over to her phone and answered it, stepping into the bathroom attached to Eric's room.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Rose!" Came Sookie's hysterical voice. "I've called you like three times! Where are you? We need to leave soon."

Rose slapped a hand against her forehead, mentally cursing herself. "Ugh, I'm so sorry, Sookie. I overslept." She glanced over at a clock hanging on the wall and added, "I'll be in the lobby in like ten minutes."

"Okay, just hurry."

She hung up and exited the bathroom to find Eric sitting up in bed, completely awake. Rose didn't bother acknowledging him at first, instead choosing to throw on her clothes that were scattered all over the room. When she was finally dressed, she called for her luggage to be sent downstairs from her room.

"Leaving?" Eric asked, his tone hard to read. Rose didn't want him to think she was running out on him, but she also needed to leave and fast.

She sighed. "Yeah, I have a flight to catch soon." She eyed him for a moment, almost hesitant to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. "Are we going to talk about this?"

"No need to over think it, Rose," Eric said, crossing his arms behind his head as he laid back and smirked at her. "It was just sex."

Rose could practically hear the way her heart cracked at his words, but she tried not to show it, keeping a brave front. "You and I know that's not true. I care about you, Eric, I've made that clear. Why won't you just let me in?"

His smug smile quickly dropped. "I learned my lesson the first time, Rosalie," he said, spitting out her full name as though it were the most disgusting thing in the world. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Besides, what we had before wasn't exactly true love."

"Stop it," Rose snapped, marching over to the bed and sitting down right in front of him so he couldn't ignore her. "You want to hate me? Fine, go ahead. I know that abandoning you in New York was shitty, but don't you dare try to tell me that we were never in love. That you're not capable of being in love because it's not fair to you and it's not fair to me."

She watched Eric, hoping for some sort of response or reaction, but he merely looked away from her and up at the clock. Then he asked mockingly, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Huffing out a frustrated sigh, Rose got up to her feet. "Yes, I do actually. If you weren't so intent on picking a fight, you might've had the chance to ask where the hell I'm going."

"Well, then, do tell," he offered, bordering on spiteful.

Rose walked over to the door and when her hand was on the doorknob, she finally looked back at Eric. She sent him a tight smile and replied in her best Southern accent, "Why, a little old town called Bon Temps, Louisiana."

And then proceeded to slam the door behind her as loudly as she could.

* * *

Rose was seated between Sookie and Jason in a rental car that was taking them all back to Bon Temps from the airport in Shreveport. Bill was safely hidden from the daylight by a silver, tightly sealed coffin that was stored behind them. None of them had felt very talkative after all the stuff that had gone down in Dallas.

Sookie had been sleeping for most of the car ride, but woke with a sudden start, eyes blinking rapidly.

"What were you dreaming about?" Jason questioned, eyeing the way Sookie refused to meet his gaze, instead choosing to reach back and pat Bill's coffin.

"Bill," she commented offhandedly.

Rose didn't bother pushing the topic as it was clearly making her uncomfortable and looked outside. They were nearing the edge of town, passing a few establishments here and there, but it was mostly dead. "Is it always this…quiet?" She asked.

"Not really," Sookie murmured.

"This reminds me of the bus ride back from state," Jason mentioned as he too began looking around outside. "Nothing really feels the same as you left it, you know?"

Sookie shrugged. "I've never been away before. But something seems different to me."

They approached the sign that said Welcome to Bon Temps, except it had been graffitied all over with various expletives and cartoon penises.

"What the hell?" Rose muttered as they drove further into town. Everything was trashed, like some kind of natural disaster had torn through.

"Look at this guy," Jason pointed out the window. There was a man repeatedly slamming his head against a wooden pole until it was bloody. The sight made Rose wince and question her decision of ever coming to Bon Temps.

All of a sudden, two people crashed into the front of the car rolling across the windshield and shattering the glass. The driver slammed on the brakes, sending the trio jerking forward as the vehicle came to a short stop.

"They just ran in front of me," the driver tried to explain, visibly shaken.

They all exited the car in record time, running out to see if the couple was alright. They were both standing, wide grins plastered onto their faces despite the blood and glass attached to their bodies.

"Are you alright?" Sookie asked, only to jerk back when the couple turned and looked at them, their eyes completely black.

"What the hell is wrong with your eyes?" Rose asked, never having seen anything like this before.

The couple only chuckled before the man turned to her and said, "Let's go." They began to stumble away without so much as a glance back.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jason called out.

The woman cackled as she began tearing off articles of clothing. "We gotta find Sam!" She squealed.

"It's almost time, man!" The other guy added as though it should be obvious what they were doing. They left, laughing and shedding clothing as they went.

There was a beat of silence before Rose finally said, "Well, this has been quite the welcome to your little town of Bon Temps."

* * *

By the time that they had gotten reloaded into the car and arrived at Bill's house, it was already starting to get dark outside. The driver helped get Bill out before he hightailed it out of there, not that any of them could really blame him. Jason got on the phone with the local sheriff's department and reported what had happened.

"Ask them what the hell's going on in this town, while you're at it," Rose told him as he finished up the call.

"And if somebody could call me back and let me know if we've been attacked by terrorists or—" There was a loud beep, indicating that the phone call was over and Jason huffed, stuff the phone into his pocket. "Fucking answering machine at the sheriff's office."

Sookie was attempting to catch Bill up to speed on what had happened. "Bill, there is something seriously wrong going on. I can feel it."

Suddenly, a large, older woman came stumbling out of one of the rooms upstairs and grinned down at them, her eyes black just like the couple from before.

"Well, if it ain't the vampire and his vampire lover," she drawled, grinning down at them. A redheaded vampire and a human man quickly followed her.

"Those fucking eyes," Jason muttered.

"Mother, come back here!" The man called, chasing the heavy woman down the stairs.

"Thank God you're home," the redhead breathed out before her eyes locked on Rose. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Rose," she introduced quickly, watching the way the heavy woman lumbered over uneasily. "I'm going to simplify my story for the sake of time. I'm a friend of Sookie's and she invited me to come with her to Bon Temps from Dallas."

"I'm Jessica. Bill's my maker," the redhead replied before turning to the man in question. "Hoyt's mama has gone totally batshit and I swear I had nothing to do with it."

"At first I thought maybe it was just a bad reaction to her diet pills," Hoyt began, trying to block his mother from making her way downstairs.

"Get out of my way!" She roared.

He sighed and finally let her pass him. "But then we saw practically the whole town has these eyes!"

Rose eyed his mother as she strode over, looking manic and all over the place. "This kind of mass brainwashing isn't easy to do…How long has she been like this?"

"Since last night," Jessica supplied, leaning against the stair railing.

Hoyt's mother suddenly stood up straighter and addressed everyone, "And I will be for as long as it takes for him to get his offering."

"That's fucking fucked up," Jason said, eyes wide.

Hoyt rubbed a hand over his face, looking worn down and out of his depth. "She's been going on about Sam Merlotte and how they're going to offer him to God."

His mother's lip curled up in a lecherous smile as she drawled, "Why don't you offer yourself up to me, Jason Stackhouse!" She lunged towards the blond man, who narrowly avoided her grasp.

Hoyt stepped in, restraining his mother from leaping onto Jason. "Mama!" He chastised, though it did no good. It was clear that his mother was out of her mind.

"Does she ever calm down?" Rose asked, watching the way his mother circled around them like a feral animal.

"Playing Wii gets her to focus, but I wouldn't exactly call that calm," he replied.

Rose turned to look at Bill and Sookie, who merely shrugged back at her. "Well, let's get this woman occupied."

Once they had set up the Wii and given Hoyt's mother the controls, she went to town on some game about killing aliens. She took out all of her amplified rage on the virtual beings, shouting expletives and insults as she did so. Rose found it hard to look away from those dead, soulless eyes she had. This kind of mind control was only something she'd ever read about in myths and legends.

"So, she says God is coming?" Bill asked Hoyt as moved to where everyone was standing at the edge of his living room, keeping their distance from Hoyt's mother but not leaving her completely alone.

Hoyt nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "Yes, sir, and that everybody's waiting at Merlotte's so they can snatch Sam and take him over to Maryann's."

"Where is Maryann's?" Sookie demanded, looking ready to bolt and confront this woman herself.

Hoyt gave her an almost apologetic look, as though what he was about to say was his fault. "It's your house, actually."

"What?" Sookie demanded.

Rose cut in quickly, grabbing Hoyt's attention. "Has anyone been attacked by a creature with claws?" She asked, forcing him to make eye contact as he answered.

"How do you know about that?" Sookie asked right before Hoyt could reply.

"I think I may know what this thing is, but I need Hoyt to answer the damn question," Rose muttered, turning to give Sookie a short look that clearly conveyed "Shut up".

Hoyt gulped as he looked down at Rose, eyes flitting all over the room as he avoided directly looking at her. "Well, I heard Arlene say that that poor woman Sookie found in Andy's car had her back scratched up pretty bad. And then I also heard somebody say that Daphne had some kind of weird scar on her back."

"The new waitress at Merlotte's?" Sookie asked.

Jason suddenly perked up, a smile coming over his face. "There's a new waitress at Merlotte's?"

"Definitely not the time, Jason," Rose muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Bill stepped forward, gesturing towards the door. "We should go talk to her, see what she knows."  
Again, Hoyt looked apologetic. "She's dead. Her heart was cut out just like the other one."

"Fucking gross," Rose muttered at the same time Sookie whispered, "Fudge!" under her breath.

"I'm going to Merlotte's and find out what's happening on my turf," Jason declared with a sudden fervor, moving to go to the door.

Everyone quickly followed him, rushing to stop him from making a deadly mistake. "Jason, if this is the same creature we think it might be, you do not want to go anywhere near it, trust me," Bill tried to reason, hands up in a gesture of peace.

Jason shook his head jerkily. "Mr. Compton, I ain't about to sit around and let monsters destroy my town."

"Jason, now would be a good time to use your head," Sookie ordered, looking terrified by what her brother was about to do, eyes flicking down to where his hand was gripping the door knob.

He grinned widely at his younger sister, looking ever the warrior knight about to enter battle. "Oh, I am. I haven't ever been so clear in my whole life. This here is the war I've been training for."

Rose rolled her eyes at the dramatics of it all. "Well, pretty boy, you're an idiot if you think I'm letting you go in there alone," she told him, setting him with a stern look when he tried to open his mouth and argue.

"Rose, don't! You've already been dragged through enough," Sookie said, placing a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

She smiled back, but shook away Sookie's grip as she came to stand near Jason. "Don't worry, Sookie—I've lived through enough war and violence that I can survive a brainwashing murderer."

Sookie didn't look convinced, but didn't bother trying to convince Rose to stay. Instead, she went over and hugged her brother tightly, going on a tirade about keeping himself safe and not doing anything stupid.

As she spoke with her brother, Rose went over to Bill. "While I'm gone with the Boy Wonder, you need to look into maenads and the folklore surrounding them. I think that's what we're dealing with right now," she whispered quietly. "And, please, keep Sookie out of any trouble."

"You and I both know that's nearly impossible," Bill quipped with a small smile.

Rose shrugged. "It was worth a try." She walked back over to Jason and thumped him on the back, chuckling when he jolted forward a bit from it. "Ready to become a hero for the second time, pretty boy?"

"Let's kill this son of a bitch."

* * *

Jason and Rose came crashing into the back lot behind the bar, Merlotte's, and jerking to a stop. The whole ride over, Jason had been vibrating with anticipation for the upcoming move. The bar itself was obviously busy, loud voices and music blaring from inside.

Rose shook herself off a bit and got out of Jason's truck, feeling a bit more steady now she was on solid ground and away from his hectic driving. They'd both changed into more comfortable clothing, though Rose's options had been minimal as Jason's female clothes consisted of random items that his one night stands had left behind that he'd never bothered to get rid of.

That's why Jason was in full black, looking like some kind of action star ready to go on a spy mission while Rose was forced to wear a white tank top that was at least one size too small, riding up high on her stomach, as well as a pair of jean booty shorts. Her shoes, at least, were black combat boots that made a hasty retreat rather easy.

Jason hopped into the bed of the truck and began pulling out copious amounts of ammo and weaponry.

"What the fuck do you need all that for?" Rose whispered, surveying the area for any black-eyed strangers.

He gave her an almost condescending look. "This is a rescue mission, Rose. We can't be too careful."

"AKA, 'Rose, I want to look like a total badass when I save my friends. I need that street cred,'" she retorted under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest. She chose to ignore the rather rude gesture that Jason replied with as he finished his weapon inventory with a giant chainsaw.

Jason led Rose through the back entrance to the bar, keeping their footsteps light and as quiet as possible. A few stragglers were walking around in the back, but they never came near the two of them. They kept walking and managed to get a good look into the actual bar over a small barrier and were disgusted by the sight.

Every form of debauchery that you could think of was going on in that room. Sex, drugs, alcohol, violence—it was all featured in some gluttonous form. Each person had the same black, dead-eyed gaze as Hoyt's mother, looking like a militia of brainwashed zombies.

"Oh, mama," Jason muttered under his breath. Suddenly, he charged forward and stepped into the room chainsaw held high. Rose fought the urge to hit her head in frustration at his impulsive moves, but stopped when no one seemed to pay attention to him.

"All right, this party's over!" He shouted over the music, revving the chainsaw a few times. Not a single person even bothered to glance in his direction. He began swinging the chainsaw around and revving it wildly, still to no avail—they either ignored him or laughed at his antics. He marched over to where the music was playing and destroyed the machine with his chainsaw, shouting as he did. "Let's go!"

Rose saw one man starting to come up behind Jason. She quickly stepped between the two right as the man called, "Hey, asshole!" Without blinking an eye, she socked the man hard in the jaw and kneed him in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

Jason tapped her on the shoulder and gestured towards a couple that was standing in the center of the room. They walked over to the couple, Jason grabbing the guy by the shoulder as he spun him around. "Hey, Terry," he greeted before promptly punching him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

As Jason punched Terry, Rose went up behind the redheaded woman he was with and pulled her into a chokehold, dragging her back so that she was facing the entire group. Jason quickly handed her his nail gun and she pressed it to the woman's temple, glaring down the entire room.

"Ambush!" Terry accused from his place on the ground.

"Alright, stay calm," Jason ordered everyone as they drew in closer. "No one needs to get hurt."  
To their surprise, everyone began grinning and one woman hollered, "Nail her! Get Arlene good!"

Even the woman who was being held by Rose—Arlene, presumably—began chuckling, urging her to injure her. Clearly this bargaining wasn't going to work on this crowd.

"Wait!" Terry called out, blinking rapidly. "Don't hurt my special lady!"

"Do it! I need a haircut anyway, baby," Arlene tried to reassure her boyfriend with a smile.

Terry shook his head, pushing himself up onto his feet. "No."

"I'll do it," Rose threatened, acting like she was second's away from shooting Arlene in the head with a nail. For good measure, she tightened her chokehold around the woman's neck, causing her to let out a guttural cough.

"Timeout. Time the fuck out!" Terry demanded, placing his hands in a T shape. "All right, Stackhouse. Name your demands."

"Okay. Here's how it's gonna be. Y'all go and leave, every last one of you. Leave us alone and then you can have her," Jason ordered sternly.

The crowd seemed less than pleased with the idea of leaving, letting out groans of displeasure, but Terry eagerly agreed to get his "special lady" free of Rose's grasp. "Alright, Stackhouse. You got a deal." He then turned into something of a military sergeant, sternly ordering the crowd out of Merlotte's. They huffed and moaned, but followed his orders nonetheless.

Once every single person had left except for Terry, Rose walked him all the way out of the door and shoved Arlene into his arms before swiftly slamming the door shut behind them and dead bolting it. She let out a sigh and turned to grin at Jason, who held his hand up for a high five that she gladly returned.

The two then searched out Sam Merlotte, who was hiding somewhere in the building. It became apparent that the only place he could be was hiding in the freezer, as it locked from the inside.

Jason stepped up to the freezer door and banged on it with his fist. "Sam, it's Stackhouse. You can come out! They're gone," he yelled so they could hear.

Rose glanced out a window and rolled her eyes when she saw the group lining around the building. "Jason, we haven't got long before they pull more of this shit."

He banged on the freezer door again. "Look, I got rid of all of them saucer-eyed motherfuckers."  
The door cracked open and a man in a Hawaiian print shirt stuck his half balding head out. "Let's see your eyes," the man ordered Jason.

"Hey, Andy," Jason greeted before it dawned on him what the man wanted. "Oh right," he mumbled, opening his eyes wide so Andy could see with his flashlight that Jason was free of any black eyes.

The door opened wider and two men came crawling out, first Andy and then a younger man that Rose assumed was Sam Merlotte. He certainly looked on edge enough to be a man being hunted by a mob.

"Who the fuck is she?" Andy growled, shining his light in Rose's eyes so he could check her as well.

Rubbing her eyes and blinking away the spots in her eyes, Rose replied, "I'm a friend of Sookie's from Dallas."

"You don't sound like you're from Dallas," Andy retorted, still looking suspicious.

She gave him a toothy smile, taking a few threatening steps forward as she purred, "Honey, all you need to know about me is that I just temporarily saved your asses from being tarred and feathered." She turned to make eye contact with Sam and put on a slightly friendlier exterior. "I'm Rose, by the way. You must be the man of the hour."

"Yeah, that's me," Sam muttered. "Thanks for helping." He shuffled over to peak out at the windows.

"How the hell did you get rid of them?" Andy asked.

Jason gestured towards the nail gun that was still in Rose's hand. "I negotiated with Terry while Rose threatened to shoot nails into Arlene's head. Listen up, guys, we need a big divergence if we're going to get the hell out of here."

Just as the words left Jason's lips, a giant barrel of gasoline came crashing through the windows of the bar and the mob began descending back into the bar. They came flooding in from all sides until the group was surrounding by them with Terry leading the pack.

Terry strolled forward, taking a seat at the counter as he lit a cigarette. "Sam Merlotte. There is no escaping, Sam Merlotte. The God Who Comes always gets what he comes for." He blew out a puff of smoke before turning to glare at Rose. "And as for you, mystery lady, threatening others with nail guns is just plain rude."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Guess I missed that bit from etiquette school."

"No moral god is coming anywhere near you people," Jason told Terry, sending a chiding look to the entire crowd.

"And God ain't gonna be happy with you, Jason," a creepy balding man threatened, grinning wide. "I bet he'll eat you. I always wanted to know what human flesh tastes like." He let out a cackling laugh, sounding absolutely delighted by the idea.

Disgusted, Rose aimed the nail gun at the man and shot him in the arm. He screamed out, more startled than seriously hurt, and everyone turned to give Rose varying degrees of a judgmental look. "Oopsies," she mocked, shrugging unapologetically.

Sam walked over to the other who hadn't been infected yet and said, "You guys need to save yourselves."  
"We'll get you out of here, Sam," Andy promised.

His friend gestured around them, to all the people dead set on taking him. "Look around, Andy. I'm ending this now." He stepped closer to the mob, eyes locked on Andy.

"No fucking way!" Andy roared, moving to stop him, but Jason caught him by the shoulder, holding him back.

"Maybe this'll all stop with me," Sam offered, stepping back until the crowd began grabbing him and carrying him away. They all cheered and shouted, elated to have finally caught the "offering" meant for their god.

* * *

"Silence! It is me, the God who Comes!"

Rose watched as the entire mob went dead silent, stopping everything they were doing. She and Andy were currently tucked in the bed of Jason's truck, providing as the technical assistants for his current charade. He was wearing a black gas mask and holding a flare in his hand, the light of it making his whole body look red and fiery.

The mob had been strapping Sam down to the roof of a car, chanting something hard to understand in Latin over and over as they did so. Sam seemed to be the only one catching on, but a few still looked more skeptical than ready to fall to their knees in worship.

"You're the God who Comes?" One guy asked skeptically.

"Horns," Andy whispered from behind Jason. "You need horns."

Jason turned to hiss out of the corner of his mouth, "Then go get some!" He then faced the crowd and took on the booming vibrato that fitted only an ancient god—or at least, that's what Jason seemed to think. "Sam Merlotte, you are my offering! People, your work here is done. Go home!"

"Really?" A woman asked, looking delighted.

"Oh, yes. He is the best offering ever. You will all have... great weather and..." Jason paused, struggling to come up with some sort of worthy response. "Good crops. Now leave." Rose wanted nothing more than to smack this idiot of a man.

Terry finally stepped up, calling Jason out. "Bullshit. The God who Comes has horns."

Luckily, Andy arrived with two branches just in time to combat the mob's leader's retort. As soon as the branches appeared, everything changed in the body language of the crowd. They became elated at the sight of their god, shouting and yelling.

Sam came stumbling forward, hands out in front of him. "Lord. Lord, smite me," he begged, really playing it up.

Jason turned to whisper to Andy, "What's he saying? I can't hear him."

"Smite me," Sam pleaded again.

"I don't know what you're saying man," Jason finally told Sam, who looked about as frustrated with Jason as Rose was.

Sam growled out through gritted teeth, "Smite me, motherfucker!"

"I smite thee, Sam Merlotte! Die!" Jason roared as dramatically as possible.

Suddenly, Sam disappeared, leaving behind nothing but his clothes on the ground. The mob moved closer hesitantly, almost afraid of what had just happened. Rose's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she tried to look at what happened without tipping off the crowd.

"What the fuck just happened?" Andy muttered.

"No fucking idea," Jason and Rose replied in unison, watching as the crowd finally picked up Sam's clothes. They cheered when they realized that Sam was really gone, rejoicing wildly.

"There. Happy?" Jason asked snippily.

"Yeah," Terry agreed.

Jason gestured to Sam's clothes and ordered, "Tell your leader I am very pleased with my offering."

"Thank you, god," the same woman from before praised.

"You're welcome. You are all blessed. Now go!" Jason said, not so subtly shooing them away so that they could figure out where the hell Sam went.

"Squad," Terry called out. "Return to Maryann's for a debriefing!"

The mob managed to leave Merlotte's in a somewhat timely manner. They stumbled and skipped away from the parking lot, throwing around Sam's clothes as they went. Once they were all finally gone from the scene, everyone was able to breathe a little easier.

Rose and Andy crawled out from the bed of the truck while Jason took off all of his "god" gear, throwing into the back.

"What happened to Sam?" Andy asked, looking around at the now trashed Merlotte's.

"I don't know man," Jason replied, scratching the back of his head.

The sound of a fire extinguisher being sprayed caught their attention as they turned to see a scantily clad Sam putting out a small fire. He was wearing nothing except for an apron, putting out fires as he walked. All three of them had similar "what the fuck" expressions on their face as they watched him casually go about his business.

"I'll explain later," Sam promised. "Just help me put out these fucking flares before they start a fire."

He began walking away from them, providing them all with a perfect look at his bare ass. While Jason and Andy looked disgusted, Rose didn't mind admitting to herself silently that it was a nice ass before she followed after him, ready to clean up this mess.

It certainly wasn't the first time she'd cleaned up after a Stackhouse and she doubted it would be the last.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it! A lot was going on in this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Thank you to everyone who responded to my question in the last chapter, it was great to get all that wonderful feedback. I was also glad to know that at least some people read these little notes I write. Feel free to drop a review for this chapter letting me know how you think their little night together will affect the development of Rose and Eric's relationship!**

 **Lots of love to you all!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Seriously? You can become an animal at any time?" Jason asked, still awed even after spending the past hour questioning Sam about his shifter abilities. He threw another shard of glass into his trash bag, watching the bar owner in much the same way a child would when meeting his favorite superhero.

"Enough with the questions, Jason," Rose cut in, taking her frustration out on a handful of trash as she violently shoved it into her own designated bag. She let out a long sigh and stretched, cracking her back as she did so. "He can shift into whatever animal he imprints on. End of story."

Sam looked over at the brunette in surprise. "How did you know that?"

She shrugged, chucking in another piece of trash. "You're not the first shifter I've met, Sam. And I've had enough encounters with various supernatural creatures that hardly anything could surprise me at this point."

"That's fuckin' cool, Sam," Jason said, still focused on his shifter status. He clapped a hand on his friend's back, who seemed to be trying not to cringe.

Andy rolled his eyes at Jason. "Well, as cool as it may be, we've still got a maenad to deal with."

"Listen, you're not dealing with anything," Sam informed the two men. "Your best bet's to get out of here while you still can."

"Until what, exactly?" Rose retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Until this maenad—this Maryann woman comes and serves you up to her god like a slab of bacon? No, it's out of the question."

"No offense, Rose, but you don't know me well enough to make that call."

She fought the urge to throttle this horribly stubborn man and replied, "I know you well enough to know that you're the kind of man who would sacrifice himself to a maenad in hopes of saving his friends. Which, to me, means that you're worth saving, asshole."

There was a long silence following her final statement. Finally, Jason piped up, "Shouldn't we think about getting the law involved with this?"

"I am involved!" Andy burst out, raising his cast-covered arm in frustration.

"I meant Sheriff Dearborne, Kenya, that other guy," Jason ticked off.

Rose fought the urge to roll her eyes, dumping her bag of trash on the ground after she tied off the top. "And what exactly are they going to do, Jason? They're as capable of killing a maenad as we are."

"Besides, the station was wide open and empty when I last saw it. They ain't gonna help," Andy added, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jason's face lit up as an idea struck him. "Then we have got to be the law! I read a book about this—this is Armageddon or the Zombie War. We need weapons and lots of them."

"Guns aren't going to do shit to Maryann," Rose cut in, fighting the temptation to pinch the bridge of her nose or run a frustrated hand through her hair.

Sam stepped forward, adding, "And you can't shoot anybody else. These are our friends and this is our town!"

Jason shrugged. "Sometimes you need to destroy something to save it," he said, sounding resigned and forlorn, even though it was about the stupidest reasoning Rose had ever heard. "That's in the Bible." At everyone's dubious looks, he tried, "Or the Constitution?"

Before anyone could even take a crack at that one, the sound of a child's voice rang out in the bar—they were whispering, "Is she in there?"

Two children were peaking over the edge of the window, but made a run for it as soon as they made eye contact with Sam and Rose. The two adults immediately went running outside after them. Sam led the way while Rose followed him further into the woods next to Merlotte's.

"Who's out there?" Sam called out.

When no reply came—only the soft rustle of leaves—Rose stepped forward and added, "There's no need to be afraid. Just come out so we can see each other."

Tentatively, a young boy came edging out from behind a tree, quickly followed by a little girl. The two were covered in dirt and looking terrified as they stared up at Sam and Rose with wide eyes.

"Is our mama here?" The boy asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, not right now."

Rose was floored when both of their shoulders sagged with relief and the girl said, "Good. Can you help us hide?"

"And will you make us lunch?" Her brother added eagerly.

The girl nodded her head vigorously. "We haven't eaten since the day before yesterday."

Rose's heart went out to the poor children, immediately moving closer to them—careful to do so slowly, so she wouldn't frighten these terrified, half-starved children—and offered out a hand as she said, "I'm Rose and happen to be known for my world famous grilled cheese. Does that sound good to you guys?"

Both children hesitated to go with her, but after receiving what Rose assumed was a confirming look from Sam, the girl reached out and took her hand. Once his sister did so, the boy immediately grabbed the other one and so the trio started heading back to Merlotte's with Sam by their side.

"What are your names?" Rose asked gently.

"I'm Lisa!" The girl stated proudly, looking a bit less shaken now that she knew she was in the care of non-brainwashed adults.

"And I'm Coby!" Her brother was quick to add, not one to be left out.

Rose smiled at them both in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. "Those are wonderful names." She started to add onto that when she looked up and saw Jason and Andy heading towards Jason's truck in the parking lot.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"Sheriff's office," Andy replied shortly as he climbed into the passenger side of the truck.

Jason mimed holding two guns with his hands as he explained, "We've got to arm ourselves." Upon spotting the two children on either side of Rose, he chirped, "Oh, hey Lisa, Coby!"

"Jason, no," Sam insisted. "You're walking into something bigger and more dangerous than you can even imagine."

"Sam," Jason stated seriously. "I've got to do this."

"You're going to get yourself killed, Jason Stackhouse!" Rose scolded. Feeling a slight squeeze on both of her hands, she remembered the already terrified children in her presence and tried to tone down her anger at the dumbest Stackhouse. "Think this through."

"The time for thinking is over. It's time for action," Jason stubbornly concluded.

"Maybe Sam's right…" Andy hesitated, looking to _Jason_ of all people for guidance.

Jason turned to glare at his now partner in crime. "Has he been to Leadership Conference?" He asked, as though that were a ringing endorsement. "Has he had paramilitary training?"

"You're an idiot, Stackhouse," Rose snapped, fed up with this pig-headed man's shit. "C'mon, kids, let's get you some food and cleaned up." Without giving Jason so much as a final look, she led the two children into Merlotte's.

She could hear Sam following behind her and kept her expression light as she watched Lisa and Coby look up to her for reassurance. Despite Jason's idiotic shenanigans and the temptation to curse him out for it, she had children to keep track of right now. There was no time to go batshit crazy on Sookie's thickheaded brother.

"You have a seat at the bar and I'll whip up those sandwiches I promised," Rose told them, releasing their hands and nodding towards the bar stools. She went into the kitchen and began working on their food. In no time, she'd created two rather good looking grilled cheese sandwiches, plated with a side of chips.

She strolled out of the kitchen and walked over to where the kids were sitting with Sam and put the two plates before them. "Rose's Famous Grilled Cheese, ready to eat," she said with a flourish, motioning for them to dig in.

Watching the speed of their eating reminded Rose that these poor kids had been on their own for the past 48 hours. She glanced over at Sam and saw that he seemed to be thinking the same thing, if his pensive expression was anything to go by.

"What's wrong with our mama?" Lisa asked through a mouth full of chips.

Sam sighed. "I'm not sure, but I think she's sick," he explained.

"Is she gonna die?"

Rose shook her head near violently. "No, not any time soon."

"Listen," Sam began, quickly veering conversation away from that topic. "Has she been…sick in front of you a lot?"

Lisa shrugged, the question confusing her enough to make the girl pause in her devouring of her food. "She doesn't seem sick."

"She seems crazy," Coby muttered under his breath. Normally, such a comment would make Rose laugh, but now it only made her wince at how close to the truth he was.

"Is she crazy?" Lisa asked eagerly, clearly the more curious of the two.

Sam tried to shrug off her concerns by saying, "Everybody gets a little crazy every now and then."

"She's always kissing Terry and doing other gross stuff when her eyes get weird," Lisa mumbled, looking disgusted. Rose shuddered to think what the poor girl might have witnessed.

Coby's eyes lit up as he suggested enthusiastically, "Can we get her a doctor?"

"Or someone to make her like she used to be?"

"Like a vampire!" Coby concluded, yelling it out. "I bet a vampire would know what to do."

Rose did not like where this conversation was starting to go.

"Where's vampire Bill?" Lisa asked eagerly, her brother nodding along when she suggested it.

 _How do these kids know Bill Compton?_ Rose wondered to herself. It was hard to imagine the stoic man with human children around. "I, uh, actually just saw Bill," Rose informed them, ignoring Sam's look of surprise. "And he's a bit tied up at the moment—stuff with Sookie and all that."

"Don't you know any other vampires?" Coby practically begged.

 _How did I know that it would inevitably lead to this?_ Rose thought to herself. "Actually, now that you mention it Coby, I do…"

* * *

 _ **Shreveport, 2007**_

 _The newly opened vampire bar,_ Fangtasia _, is filled to the brim with bodies—both dead and alive. The novelty of a bar exclusively for the recently revealed species of living dead has profited very well in rural Louisiana. People are pushing to reach the bar and buy drinks while others continually grind on the dimly lit dance floor._

 _Rose had come to check out the bar purely on a tip from Godric. Supposedly, her old flame, Eric Northman, owned it and she intended to find out. Clad in nothing but black leather and lace, she managed to slink her way in, fading into the background easily. She moved to a table near the bar and looked around, eyes seeking a familiar face._

 _Once she found him, it was amazing that Rose had missed him before. Lounging in a wooden throne on top of a stage, Eric was gazing down at all of his customers as a king would his subjects. His hair was longer now, falling in soft gold waves to his broad shoulders. Nearby, a woman was performing on one of the poles stationed, eyes locked with the club owner's the entire time._

 _The sight made Rose sick with jealousy, but she found it hard to look away from the animal heat in Eric's eyes—a heat that she had once been all too familiar with. Her staring must've become very obvious because a whiny voice piped up from beside her, "Gorgeous, ain't he?"_

 _Rose's head whipped over to look at the very small blond woman standing next to her. She was wearing even less clothes than Rose, revealing arms covered with bites. Her face was caked in heavy makeup and her dyed blond hair was stick straight._

 _"Sorry," the woman added almost sweetly, holding out her hand. "I'm Ginger."_

 _"Rose," she introduced, taking the offered hand hesitantly. She then noticed the tray of drinks in Ginger's hand and asked, "Do you work here?"_

 _The petite woman smiled broadly, nodding her head. "I was here before this place even opened up."_

 _"So, you must know the owner well," Rose fished not so subtly, moving a bit closer to her new acquaintance._

 _"I know Eric very well," Ginger leered, grinning toothily._

 _Rose tried to tamp down another flare of envy and smiled casually. "What's he like?" She really just wanted to know who the man she once knew had become since she'd abandoned him all those years ago._

 _"Best way I can describe him is a sex god," Ginger purred. "He's sexy and powerful and—just pure_ perfection _."_

 _"Does he seem happy to you?"_

 _That one threw Ginger for a loop. "_ Happy _? Well, with a never-ending stream of women, money, and power, I don't know how he couldn't be happy."  
_

 _Rose sank down a little at that. She'd always known that Eric was a bit rough around the edges, but she'd hoped that the softer side she knew would eventually come through. It made her sad to think that man might be gone._

 _"Well, I'll let you get back to work, Ginger," she said, grabbing her bag and hopping down from her seat in the corner. The other woman shrugged and went on her merry way, giggling when a male vampire approached her, sliding a hand down her back._

 _Rose had hoped coming to Fangtasia might allow her the opportunity to reunite with Eric, to go back to the way that things were. But as she looked around this dungeon of sex and depravity that he'd built, Rose knew that dream was long gone._

* * *

"Rose! Wake up, someone's here," Sam's voice hissed, startling the young woman from her slumber. She jumped up in the passenger seat, looking around the car. It all came rushing back to her as she took in the faces of Coby and Lisa as well as the empty parking lot of Fangtasia.

She looked out the windshield towards the entrance to Fangtasia and saw none other than Ginger, the woman she'd met a couple years ago, about to open up the door. Moving quickly, Sam and Rose jumped out of the car and quickly walked over to Ginger.

"Excuse me," Sam said politely, attempting to turn on the southern charm.

It did nothing but startle Ginger, causing her to scream shrilly at the top of her lungs, waving her arms wildly.

Sam held his hands up to show he meant no harm. "Nothing to be afraid of! I just came to see Eric."

She eyed the two of them suspiciously. "He won't be here until after dark."

"Look, Ginger, do you remember me? We met here a couple years ago?" Rose tried to reason, seeing as the other woman already viewed Sam as a threat.

The blond woman eyed her for a moment before her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh yeah! Rachel, right?"

"Rose," she corrected gently. "Listen, I'm an old friend of Eric's and we really need to speak with him."

"You'll have to wait until he gets here tonight," Ginger replied stubbornly.

Rose let out a quiet sigh before plastering on her best persuasive smile. "We've got two kids with us"—she gestured to Coby and Lisa sitting in the back seat of Sam's car—"so we'd really appreciate it if you'd let us wait inside."

"I can't do that," Ginger repeated, though it was clear from her expression that she felt bad for the kids.

Sam reached into his wallet and pulled out a crisp, $100 bill. "Not even for a hundred dollars?" The two watched as Ginger internally fought with herself before snatching the money out of his hands and opened the door to Fangtasia, gesturing for them to go inside.

Once they were all in the club, it was merely a matter of waiting until nightfall for Eric to arrive. Rose attempted to entertain Coby and Lisa with various stories of her travels as well as anything she could think that might take their minds off of the terrible situation they were in.

Customers began to trickle in, one by one. It was in the middle of the week, so business was slow. Fortunately, this meant that Coby and Lisa wouldn't witness anything too scarring.

Finally, Eric strolled into Fangtasia with his progeny, Pamela de Beaufort, at his side. Rose never got the pleasure of meeting Pam in person back when she was with Eric. He spoke of her fondly and frequently and his description of her wasn't far off. Tall and thin with high cheekbones and steely blue eyes, she was the ice queen that Rose had always imagined her to be.

"Rose," Eric drawled with a surprisingly fond expression, as Rose expected their fight to still be weighing him down. When he finally noticed the two children and Sam's presence, the smile fell from his face. "What are you doing here, shifter? Shouldn't you be off chasing your own tail, or something of that nature?"

Rose sent him a warning look. "Try to maintain some amount of civility, at least while tiny ears are listening," she muttered, nodding towards Coby and Lisa, who looked positively awestruck.

"Ugh," Pam scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her nose up in the air.

Normally, such a display would've irritated Rose, but she found herself fighting back a laugh that the only thing that could horrify a vampire was a child. Shaking her head, she gave Sam a look to start his campaign for help.

"Listen, Eric, I need your help," Sam began. He proceeded to explain the entire maenad situation start to finish as Eric lounged across a couch, looking bored out of his mind. When Sam finished, he paused and waited for some sort of response.

"Why should I help you, shifter?" Eric finally spoke, giving Sam a derisive look.

 _Jesus Christ, I'm going to need a drink to get through this,_ she thought, getting up and going over to the bar where Ginger was pretending not to eavesdrop on the entire conversation.

"I don't care what you give me," Rose told the other woman, placing her hands on the bar. "Just make it strong."

"You got it," Ginger replied, winking. She moved around, throwing only God knows what into a small, rounded glass before handing it to Rose.

Throwing it back in one go, Rose hissed as the alcohol burned a trail down her throat.

"Because I need your help," Rose heard Sam reply. " _We_ need it. And hopefully someday I can give you something you need."

Rose looked back at the two men just in time to see Eric perk up and ask, "Can you give me Sookie Stackhouse?"

A hot flash of rage shot through Rose's entire body at his words. Her mind flashed back to Dallas and Eric constantly hitting on Sookie and going so far as to trick her into drinking his blood. All the little twinges of jealousy and anger during those moments reformed in her body all at once.

"No!" Sam answered, sounding horrified by the thought of giving up one of his friends to this vampire.

"Shame. That's a tribute I wouldn't forget."

 _Crash!_

Rose looked down and realized she'd been squeezing her glass so tightly that she'd broken it in her momentary lapse of rage. Glancing back up again, she saw Sam and Eric both staring at her, with the latter smirking knowingly.

Suppressing the urge to slap Eric's smug face, Rose sheepishly knelt down to the floor and began picking up pieces of shattered glass. A sharp stinging pain hit her palm and Rose realized she'd cut up her hand when she crushed the glass.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked from his place on one of the couches.

Rose nodded. "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Yes, women can't help the things they do out of jealousy," Eric teased, that coy look still firmly in place.

His words made Rose freeze in place, mid-pick up. Slowly turning her head up, she gave him the darkest look she could manage—and she'd been told she could be pretty damn scary—and slowly stood up from her place on the floor. Taking slow purposeful steps toward Eric, she came to a stop in between him and Sam.

Looking over to the kids with what she hoped was a sweet expression, she said, "Lisa, Coby, why don't you ask Miss Ginger to get you guys a soda to drink? Sam and I need to talk to Mr. Northman about some business."

The kids grudgingly got up from their spot on the couch (they were obviously entranced by Eric's presence) and did as Rose said. As soon as they were out of ear shot, Rose's hand shot out and slapped Eric across the face with a resounding crack. Pam moved to defend her maker, eyes flaring, but Eric held a hand up to stop her.

"Now that I have your attention, you smug motherfucker, let me make something clear," Rose hissed, leaning down so she was nose-to-nose with the blond Viking. "I would watch that smug attitude of yours because if you don't fucking help us with this maenad, she's going to be on your ass sooner rather than later. Also, we may want your help, but don't presume that we can't make due without it." Running her eyes up and down his face, she let out a minute sigh. "You're not nearly as impressive as you think you are."

There was a moment of silence where everyone within earshot waited with baited breath to see what the vampire would reply with. Finally, Eric grinned widely and asked, "Why, Rose, is that a new perfume I smell? Did you get all dolled up just for me?"

Letting out a loud growl, Rose pushed up and turned to give Sam an unimpressed look. "Either he doesn't know shit or he has no intentions of telling us what he knows," she told the shifter. "Let's bounce. Lisa! Coby!" She gestured for the kids to come over again.

Sam got up—albeit begrudgingly—and the group looked like they were about to leave when Eric suddenly said, "Wait."

Rose crossed her arms and turned to face the vampire once again, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "What, Eric? We have a maenad to kill and not a lot of time to do it."

"While I know nothing of this maenad creature," he murmured, eyes cast upwards thoughtfully. "I do know someone who might be able to offer something useful." At both Sam and Rose's hopeful expressions, he added, " _Might_ be able."

Rose ran a hand through her dark hair. "At this point, might is better than what we've got now."

Coby—who had been watching Eric with eager eyes—stepped forward and asked, "Can we see your fangs?"

Before Rose could say anything, Eric popped out his fangs, hissing lightly at the children. The sight made Lisa jump slightly, which didn't escape Eric's notice.

"Don't you like vampires, little girl?" He teased, fangs still very much present in the smug smirk he was wearing.

"Eric!" Sam and Rose both shouted, the latter wrapping her arms around the little girl next to her.

Lisa gulped slightly. "Our almost stepdaddy hated vampires, but we don't."

"He went on a vacation with Jesus," Coby added.

Eric's progeny rolled her eyes and muttered, "You make me so happy I never had any of you."

"Oh, come on, Pam. They're funny," Eric teased, albeit sarcastically, as he leaned down so that he was at eye level with Lisa and Coby. "They're like humans, but miniature. Teacup humans."

Rose not so subtly kicked Eric in the leg, eyes narrowed.

" _ **I hate them**_ ," Pam muttered in Swedish to her maker. " _ **They're so stupid**_."

" _ **But delicious**_ ," Eric countered back in the same language, never taking his eyes off the kids.

Rose, fluent in Swedish, shot back, " _ **Watch it. They're not here for you to snack on**_."

Sam—confused by the entire exchange, but not willing to talk about it—moved on, asking, "So can you call this person or…"

"Better yet," Eric cut in, standing up and buttoning his jacket in one swift movement. "I'll go see her myself. But I have to leave right away."

Sam nodded. "Great!"

"I'll walk you out," Eric offered, leading the way towards the door as Rose and her crew followed. Once in the parking lot, Eric promised to call Sam if he got any useful information on the maenad. The two nodded at each other stoically before Sam went over to the car, loading Coby and Lisa into the back.

Rose moved to follow him, but was stopped by Eric's hand on her elbow. She glanced down at where his hand gripped her arm and then back up to his dark eyes. "What?" She snapped, wrenching her arm free.

"You're coming with me."

Rose scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking a hip to the side. "No, I'm not."

In a flash, Eric had Rose scooped up in his arms bridal style. Flashing a near-maniacal grin at her, he counter, "Yes, you are."

And with that, they were flying through the air together, off to find some goddamn answers.


End file.
